


Tea With a Bit Of Dust | a levihan fanfiction

by hayleeloox



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:47:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 27,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24551038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hayleeloox/pseuds/hayleeloox
Summary: When Levi runs into money problems, he needs to find a new apartment with a roommate. His only option is Hange Zoë, a messy scientist. He tries his best to ignore her, but when he finds out she has nightmares, Levi tries his best to help her.The pair slowly begin to grow closer, unaware of their developing feelings.
Relationships: Hange Zoë/Levi, Nanaba/Mike Zacharias, Oluo Bozado/Petra Ral
Comments: 11
Kudos: 110





	1. Chapter 1

Levi scrolled through the select number of apartment ads. He needed to move in with someone due to the lack of pay his current job was providing him. He would need to move soon, his landlord ordering him to be gone in two weeks. 

Rubbing his temples, he sighed as he clicked on a random one near here with no pictures attached.

'In need of a roomie. Just contact this email if you're interested. Fair warning, I am messy and a scientist, so I cannot promise you'll survive.'

"Tch."

He clicked out of the ad. Messy was something he couldn't put up with, but he soon found himself sending an email to this mystery person. Levi was running out of options and this was the best one; close to work and the person was closer to his age than all the other ads out there.

He immediately got a response.

'Dear Mr. Ackerman,

The place is yours! If you'd like to look at it first, just come by at 17:30 tomorrow at this address.

-Hange Zoe'

Levi flinched as he read the message. He was chosen? Just like that? He suspicously typed up an answer.

'Dear Ms. Zoe,

I will see you tomorrow then.

-Levi Ackerman'

He sighed again, praying that whoever Hange Zoe was, it was a normal person who was quiet and respected privacy. With that, he took a shower and mentally prepared himself for tomorrow.

\----

Hange Zoe was grinning widely at her laptop, a cup of coffee in her hands. Someone was interested! After finishing her coffee, she picked up the apartment, not thouroughly cleaning it, but making not look so much like a dumpsite.

She hummed the entire time. She was really looking forward to meeting this Levi Ackerman. Afterwards, she dove into a book until three in the morning. When she saw the time, she slammed the book shut and went to sleep.

The next morning she dressed for work, giddily skipping around the apartment. Hange then went to the bus stop, nearly missing her bus. 

When she arrived at work, her partner greeted her with coffee.

"Good morning, Hange. What has you in such a good mood," Moblit asked as he handed her the cup of black coffee.

Hange smiled as she inhaled the smell of her drink before answering, "Someone will be checking the apartment out tonight, so I'll have to leave a little early."

"Oh, that's good."

They walked the rest of the way to her lab in silence. Upon entering, she though her stuff on her desk and then proceeded to pull a thick notebook from her bag containing her most recent notes.

"What are we doing today?" Moblit asked.

"Hm," Hange hummed in response, "I think I will continue my research. I don't really have anything for you to do, Moblit, so if you want to help someone else, go ahead."

He nodded once, before leaving the room all together. He would bring her lunch later, otherwise she would completely forget to eat.

\--- 

Levi groaned as his alarm clock went off. He roughly turned it off before getting up, his feet padding across the cold floor to the kitchen where he made himself cup of Earl Grey tea. He silently read the paper while he sipped his favorite drink. 

He stopped when his phone buzzed beside him.

From Eyebrows:

You find a place? You can stay with me if you need to.

Levi sighed before typing an answer.

To Eyebrows:

I'm checking out an apartment today. Thanks for the offer though.

He groaned once before getting dressed and heading off to work. He worked at a small tea shop fairly close to the apartment he was to check out later. 

When he opened the door to the shop, a little bell went off and he was greeted by the strong aroma of tea. He took a deep breath, satisfied by the heavenly scent. 

"Oh, hello, Levi. You're in early," a soft voice said. Levi looked over to see his coworker Petra. The small ginger gave him a soft smile. He only gave her a nod of acknowledgement before going in the back to put his stuff away. Levi let out a breath and slipped an apron on. 

\--- 

The day went by quickly for Hange. She began to pack her stuff up a half hour before she was supposed meet Levi Ackerman. She sped over to the bus stop and went home. She still had fifteen minutes so she made some coffee for herself and her guest, if he wanted some of course. 

It wasn't long until she heard the buzzer go off. She quickly left and launched down the stairs letting her guest into the main area. Hange was caught off guard when she saw him. He was much shorter than expected, a few inches shorter than her. He had dark hair in an undercut, and steel eyes that were narrowed at her, a scowl set on his face. Despite him being short, Hange could tell he was strong.

"Levi Ackerman?" She asked hesitantly.

He gave her a sharp nod.

"I'm Hange Zoe. Nice to meet you," she stuck her hand out, but he only eyed it.

\---

"I'm Hange Zoe. Nice to meet you," she stuck her hand out, but he eyed it. Levi really didn't want to touch this woman. Her dark hair was pulled into a very sloppy ponytail. He was amazed she could see anything though her glasses. Behind them were large, hazel eyes. She was wearing khakis and a white button down shirt, which was surprisingly still it's natural, clean white color.

Levi moved his gaze to her face, "Sure."

The woman pulled her hand back, a little offended by his rudeness. She led him upstairs and down the hall until he reached room 334, where she unlocked it and entered gesturing for him to enter.

Levi had never seen such a mess in his whole life.

Well, except for when he lived with his drunk uncle, but that wasn't the point. She had books scattered across the conjoined living room and kitchen. Dust was everywhere along with empty bottles of water.

He gaped at his surroundings, "I'm allowed to clean, right?


	2. Chapter 2

Hange was taken aback by his strange request. She knew her flat was messy, but enough to where he flat out asked if he could clean?

She then started to chuckle, "Sure, as long as you don't mess with my experiments, but they'll usually be in my room."

Levi walked forward a step. "So, you read . . ."

"Yep," she answered popping the 'p', "Come on, I'll show you the bedroom."

She lead him down the short hallway to a spacious bedroom. He nodded satisfactory. It was currently empty except for a couple boxes.

"Sorry, it's some science stuff. It'll be gone before you know it," Hange said sheepishly.

Levi then followed her to a medium sized bathroom. It was a lot cleaner than he was expecting, but then he remembered what the woman looked like. She probably didn't bathe often. They left and went to the kitchen.

"It isn't much, but rent is cheap."

Levi sighed. It was messy and this woman seemed crazy, but the price was good and he was out of options. He didn't want have to stay with Erwin.

He made eye contact with her, "It's good."

"Really?" She squealed. "If you like it, you can move in anytime. I work a lot so chances are I won't be around when you do."

"Well," Levi said hesitantly, "Is it okay if I start tomorrow afternoon?"

Hange nodded vigorously.

—-

Hange was so happy she found someone to room with her. She could easily afford the two bedroom apartment, but what was the point of paying for an empty bedroom? Her cousin moved back in with his parents, so now the room was vacant.

She flopped onto the couch, excited to get to know Levi more. From what she could tell, he was a neat freak, and very quiet. He didn't seem to smile much or even show any emotion other than boredom and loathing.

I'll make him smile. I will get him to laugh and lose his scowl.

Hange grinned at the image in her head.

Even though it was still early, she decided to go to bed because she had an early morning tomorrow and a late night.

—-

Levi was already finished packing. He didn't have much, which was good because he would have no help moving into the small flat. He prayed he wasn't making a mistake by moving in with this crazy, filthy stranger, but he couldn't help but be curious. Was she actually weird? Or just energetic. She was a scientist, so she was most likely weird.

What was her name? Hange?

"Yeah, she's probably weird," he muttered to himself.

Ding dong.

The doorbell went off. Who the fuck would come here?

Levi opened the door to see Erwin. He was dressed in casual jeans with a white T-shirt under a flannel. Levi raised a brow at him.

"What are you doing here?"

Erwin rolled his eyes, "Nice to see you too." He let himself in and say at the kitchen table, eyeing the packed boxes stacked neatly in the living room. "You moving soon? You liked the apartment you went to see?"

"No."

It was Erwin's turn to raise a thick, dark eyebrow, "Then . . . "

Levi shrugged, "It was messy and the woman was filthy, but the rent is cheap and I need to move out before the landlord takes my tea."

Erwin chuckled, "Who is the roommate?"

"Hange Zoë or some shit like that."

"Hange? I know her! We went to university together for awhile, but then she transferred to some fancy science school. I heard she's making good money now," he explained.

Levi made two cups of tea, "Tch. As long as I don't become a science experiment, I could care less."

Erwin sighed, "I think she'll be good for you. You might leave the little hole you've dug for yourself."

"Excuse me?"

"Never mind. I don't think it'll be too bad. Besides, you like cleaning, right? There will be plenty of that."

Levi groaned, "You're not helping."

Erwin let out a small chuckle, "Tell you what, I'll come by and help you move in and talk to Hange. I don't have anything to do tomorrow so why not?"

"She said she wouldn't be around until late, but you're more than welcome to help me move," Levi said before taking a sip of scalding tea.

—-

Bringggg, bringggg

Hange groaned and looked at the clock. She must've fallen asleep on the couch.

22:04

Who would be calling her?

"Hello?" She said sleepily.

"Oh, my bad, were you sleeping, Hange?"

Moblit.

She sighed, "Hm, no. I wasn't. What can I do for you?"

"I was just wondering if I could take tomorrow off. I have family coming over unexpectedly . . ." He trailed off.

"Oh, of course!" Hange exclaimed.

Moblit let out a relieved breath, "Thank you! I'm sorry, I'll make it up to you."

"Nahhh, it's fine. Have fun with your family!"

She then hung up.

The brunette rubbed her eyes before grabbing a microwave meal for dinner. After that, she took a quick shower and went to bed.

—-

It was 16:32 and Levi was parked in front of the large apartment building. Hange had left. a set of keys for him under the potted plant by the door. Erwin was helping unload a few boxes while Levi used one key to unlock the main door, then placed a stray rock in front of the door to hold it open.

He then grabbed a couple boxes and lead Erwin up the stairs until they reached the third floor, then down the hall to the flat. He unlocked that door and entered.

Erwin let out a low whistle, "You were right. It is messy."

"Tch."

Levi brought the boxes to the empty room, Hange's science equipment was now gone. This continued until everything was inside his room. It took a little while for them to get Levi's mattress and bed frame up the stairs, but it was a success.

"Want me to help you unpack?" Erwin asked as he set down the last box.

"Sure," Levi shrugged. He opened up the box with his bedding and expertly made the bed. He smoothed out the navy blue comforter before adding a couple pillows. Erwin hung all of Levi's clothes neatly in the closet.

They finished at around 18:57. Erwin's stomach growled.

"I'll order a couple pizzas," he said sheepishly before whipping his phone out of his pocket.

Levi sat on the chair in the corner of his room and looked around. He nodded to himself. He likes the way it turned out. Now, he just needed to clean the rest of the flat.

The food came fast. They ate while watching TV.

"The extra pizza is for Hange," Erwin explained when he saw Levi's confused face, "I'm sure she hasn't eaten all day."

"Why?"

He shrugged, "She always gets caught up in her work. She forgets to eat. She would probably die if it weren't for her assistant."

"Tch."

At least Levi knew she was a hard worker, and that was always a good thing.

He quickly finished eating and then proceeded to clean while Erwin watched Netflix on Hange's TV.


	3. Chapter 3

Hange dug through her bag searching for her keys. Once she found them, she unlocked the door to her apartment. When she entered, she gaped as she took in her surroundings. Her flat was clean. She didn't even know it could look like this. The books were placed neatly on the large bookshelf, the garbage had been taken out, the dishes were clean and put away, the floors were spotless, and everything was organized.

She nearly dropped her stuff in shock.

"Erwin!" Hange exclaimed when she saw him. It had been awhile since she saw this guy. He stood up from the couch, a small smile placed in his lips. He was dressed casually.

Hange then saw Levi sitting on a stool buy the island, a cup of steaming tea in his hands. He had on his signature scowl.

"It's been awhile," Erwin said as he made his way to her.

"Yeah, it has," she chuckled, then turned her attention to Levi. "You did this? It's amazing! I didn't even know it could look like this!"

Hange continued to look around in awe.

Levi took a sip of his tea, "Tch. Just try to keep this way."

"Can't guarantee that."

He rolled his eyes.

"Well, I better get going," Erwin said.

Hange stepped forward, her face showing her disappointment, "But I only just got home. Do you want anything?"

"No, I only came by to help Levi move and I wanted to say hello to you quick. Don't worry, I'll keep in touch."

She sighed and waved her hand, "Okay, see you sometime then."

They bid farewell and Hange led him to the door. She then went back to the kitchen. Levi was still seated at the island. He glance at her briefly before looking down at his phone.

"So . . ." Hange started awkwardly, "How about a 'get to know you'? I'll ask questions, you answer?"

Levi shrugged.

Well, he's rude, Hange thought to herself.

"Okay, what is your job?"

Levi looked up, "I work at a tea shop."

"Ohh, that's neat. I can definitely see that. I'm a scientist at a lab nearby," she said. "How old are you?"

"Thirty-four," he huffed.

Hange sat across from him. "I'm thirty-one. Umm, hobbies other than cleaning and being a grump?"

He rolled his eyes. "Reading, I guess. I also enjoy working out."

"You read?!" She wiggled excitedly in her seat. When she called down, Hange continued, "I also like working out, but I usually don't have time. I'm always working, and when I'm not at work, I take it home."

Levi just gave a nod in response. Hange then got up and went to sit on the couch, flipping on the TV. She let out a loud laugh when she saw what was on the Netflix screen.

"You were watching Scooby Doo?"

Levi's face reddened a shade, "No, Erwin was."

"Uh, huh," she giggled as she hit the play button.

It was quiet for a few moments and Levi contemplated heading to bed. He knew he wouldn't sleep, but he wanted to be away from the awkwardness that was heavy in the air. Then, Hange suddenly started belting out the theme song.

"What's new, Scooby Doo! We're coming after you, gonna soollvvee that mystery!"

Levi shot up, his hands over his ears. "I'm going to bed," he tried yelling over her voice.

She stopped and paused the TV, "What? Already?"

"I've got an early day tomorrow," he said, which wasn't a lie. He had the morning shift so he had to be there at 06:30.

Hange nodded knowingly, "I better hop to bed as well. I've got to be at the office early."

She flipped off the TV, along with all the lights around her. She followed Levi down the hall until they reached his room where he entered without any words.

"Goodnight to you too!" Hange yelled through the door.

Silence was her answer.

Inside her room, Hange changed into shorts and a baggy t-shirt. She flopped onto her bed and sighed. She refused to make this living experience awkward. She would have to open up more and invite him out.

—-

Levi was sat on his bed staring at the wall in front of him. He knew sleep wouldn't come easy, if at all. Insomnia was merciless. He pulled out his laptop from his desk drawer and opened up a new tab. He decided he would do a little research on his new roommate. Opening Facebook, Levi clicked on her profile. It was obvious she didn't really use it, so he tried Instagram instead.

There, he found a bunch of pictures. Her most recent post was a picture of her and a guy with dirty blond hair. It was captioned 'lovin' the science life with my side kick' . She had tagged the guy and Levi found it his name was Moblit Berner.

Levi scrolled down to the next. This one was a selfie with a girl with short, blonde hair. He learned her name was Nanaba.

After going through her Instagram, he typed her name into google. There was an article about her, but he didn't read it. Too many science words he didn't understand.

He concluded that Hange was pretty outgoing and very important in the science field. She was smart.

Levi groaned and fell back against the bed. Why was he doing this? This is creepy. He closed the laptop and changed into plaid pajama pants and a white t-shirt. He crawled under the blankets, knowing fully well he would be lying here for awhile.

He decided to think about work tomorrow. He would get off at 14:00, so he would have a long time to be at the flat, which bothered him. Levi really didn't want to have to spend so much time here. Maybe he would stop by Erwin's place . . . No, he shouldn't bother him after he helped him move in.

Levi suddenly heard a loud crash followed by a string of cuss words outside his door. "Fuck!"

He shot up from bed and opened his door to see Hange sprawled out on the floor. She rubbed her forehead with her left hand as she continued muttering profanities.

"Um. . ." He started.

"Oh, Levi!" She looked up, "I'm sorry! Did I wake you?"

Levi shook his head.

"Ohhh, good. I'm glad. Sorry about that. I'm fine, I slipped on the wood floor from my socks," she explained nonchalantly.

His gaze moved to her feet. Sure enough, she was wearing teal, fuzzy socks.

—-

Hange was hungry. She hasn't eaten all day and had completely forgotten about the extra pizza in the kitchen fridge Erwin got her. Her feet were numb from the cold, so she slipped on her favorite fuzzy socks before tip toeing outside.

It was 02:12, so she was pretty sure Levi was sleeping. She meant to be quiet the whole way there, but once she was about to pass his door, she lost her footing and fell on her face, slamming her forehead to the ground.

"Fuck!" She cursed, followed by a lot more.

Hange began rubbing her now throbbing forehead, when she heard someone beside her.

"Um . . ."

She looked up and saw Levi standing above her (the only time he would be taller than her, of course).

Hange felt her face redden. "Oh, Levi! I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

Levi only shook his head.

"Ohhh, good." She then explained how she fell. She was happy she didn't wake him, but it did make her wonder why he was awake in the first place. Didn't he have an early day tomorrow?

After that, Levi simply turned around and shit the door in her face.

Hange let out a breath as she got up and continued her pizza expedition.


	4. Chapter 4

Hange groaned as her alarm clock went off at five. She hit snooze and slept for another five minutes before getting up. She stretched and padded over to the bathroom outside her room.

Still half asleep, Hange raised her hand to knock on the door. Before she could even touch it, the door swung open to reveal a half naked Levi. He had a towel hanging loosely around his hips, water dripping from his hair and down his body. Her eyes widened. She sure was awake now. The first thing Hange noticed were his abs. He was small, but he was very muscular.

"Oh, my bad," she said as she turned around, her face brighter than the lobster she had last week.

"Tch," was all Levi said as he went to his bedroom.

As soon as she deemed it safe, Hange turned back around and went inside the bathroom where she did her business and washed her face. After that, she went back to her room to get dressed for the day. She pulled on dark brown slacks and a yellow button down shirt, finishing off the look with her signature ponytail.

She went out in the hall and into the kitchen only to see Levi fully dressed making breakfast.

"Breakfast? Is some for me?"

Levi nodded, "Yeah, I got the impression you don't usually eat so I figured I'd make breakfast."

"Really?" Hange beamed. "That's so nice of you! Wow, I knew you were softer than you let on."

She went to ruffle his hair, but he slapped her hand away. "If you do that, you don't get any."

Hange pouted, but went and sat down at the kitchen island. Levi grabbed a plate from the cabinet, flipping two eggs and a slice of toast onto it. He added a fork and slid the plate over to her before filling his own plate the same. He sat across from her. Hange grinned as she mashed her eggs up and spreading it on her toast.

"Mmm, fanks," She said through a bite of toast.

Levi grimaced as he watched her, "Don't talk with your mouth full. It's gross."

Hange ate quickly before shouldering her bag to head to work. She waved to Levi as he slipped on his jacket. She was already running late, so she would have no time to walk with him. She ran to bus stop, which she had barely made in time.

Once she made it, Hange went straight to her lab where Moblit was waiting with a bunch of papers.

"Good morning, Moblit!"

He looked up, "Good morning, Hange. You're late." He slid a cup of coffee her way.

"I know, I know," she said sheepishly. She sat down at her desk. "What's on the agenda for today?"

"Um," he scanned a couple papers, "I think you have an intern coming in at noon, but until then, it's whatever your down with, I guess."

She nodded, excited for the intern to show up, but she had awhile to wait, so instead, Hange pulled out her laptop.

—-

Levi sighed as he watched Hange dart out the door. Where did she get the energy from? He grabbed his wallet, slipping it into the back pocket of his jeans before opening the door. Locking it behind him, Levi trudged down the stairs. The apartment was very close to the tea shop, so he could simply walk.

He reached it quickly, surprised when he found the door unlocked. Levi was supposed to be the only one on morning shift, so when he saw Eld standing behind the counter, his back turned from him, he was confused.

"Eld?"

The taller man the spun around and gave him a smile, "Levi. I was planning on leaving early today so I decided I ought come in early. Anyway, my girlfriend isn't a huge tea drinker. Do you have any recommendations?"

Levi walked over to the wall with all the displayed teas. "Does she like cinnamon?"

"Ohh, no. She hates it."

Chai was off the list. He scanned all the options before grabbing his favorite below black tea; mint.

"The mint in it is very subtle. It's one of my favorites. Here." Levi tossed the package of mint tea to Eld, who caught it effortlessly.

"Thanks! She loves mint! Why didn't I think of this?" He just shook his head at himself before purchasing the tea.

Levi went in the back to set down his stuff, when he heard the door open. He went back out to see who was here so early.

He was surprised to see a teenager with dark hair and green eyes looking at the teas. A girl with black hair and a red scarf stood beside him.

"Mikasa, what type did mom say?"

The girl, who was apparently Mikasa, shrugged and reached for the lemon tea, "I'm not sure. Was it this?"

The boy groaned, "I can't remember!"

The door opened again and a short, blond boy with blue eyes came in and went up to them.

"Thanks for ditching me guys." He snatched peach tea from the shelf, "She said this one, Eren."

Levi stood behind the counter, awkwardly watching them bicker. The boy, Eren, shrugged, before taking the tea and setting on the counter.

"Just this?" Levi asked after he scanned it.

Eren nodded, "Yeah. My mom is pregnant and wanted tea, but she has been craving the weirdest stuff right now. I couldn't remember what tea she wanted."

Levi didn't respond. He didn't really care why this teenager was here at seven in the morning buying tea. The boy payed and left with his friends.

"That was interesting," Eld said from behind him.

"Tell me about it."

—-

Noon came by quickly and Hange was getting more and more antsy in anticipation for the intern.

Finally, Moblit entered her lab with a new face. A girl about the height of Levi stood next to him. Her hair was dark and parted to the side. She had a few freckles, but not many. In her hand, she held a brown notebook or journal, a pen clipped onto the cover. Hange stood up, practically skipping to them.

"Hi! I'm Hange Zoë! Nice to meet you," she stuck her hand out.

The girl took it, her grip was firm. "I'm Ilse Langnar. It's nice to meet you too," she offered her a smile.

Hange grinned. "So, why don't you tell me about yourself before we begin."


	5. Chapter 5

Night rolled around rolled around quicker than Levi thought it would. The work day was busy. He had been there open to close because Petra and Oruo called in sick, leaving him and Eld there all day, but Eld had to leave early.

While he was preparing for closing, the door opened. In stepped Hange, her hair wind blown and messy. Levi let out an irritated breath when he saw her, but only because it was so close to closing time and Hange was a chatterbox.

"Oh, Levi! I had no idea you worked here!"

He grabbed the broom from the closet, "Why are you here?"

Hange sat down at a small table with a chess set, "The new intern at work suggested I try tea instead of all the coffee I drink. Even though I won't give up my coffee, I decided to stop by the shop she recommended on my way home."

He only nodded in response as he continued to sweep the floors.

"So," She restes her elbow on the table with her head in her hands, "what tea do you recommend?"

Levi stopped and looked straight at the woman. She looked tired, but she acted like her usual energetic self. What tea would Hange like best? He pondered for a moment before walking over to the display.

"I think you would like lemon mint," he said while he tried to reach it from the top.

Suddenly, an arm reached over him, scooping the tea in her hand. "Lemon mint," She repeated with a grin. "I'll give it a go."

A little irritated, Levi snatched the tea from her grasp to scan it.

—-

Hange skipped on the sidewalk beside Levi, her new tea in her bag. Since Levi was pretty much done with work, she decided to wait for him so they could walk home together.

"I'm itching to taste that tea," Hange said with a large grin on her face.

Levi walked evenly alongside her. "It's one of my favorites."

The rest of the short walk was silent and they made it to the flat quickly. Hange was still in awe over the clean apartment. Who knew it could look like this?

"Are you hungry?"

Levi's voice jolted Hange from her thoughts.

"If you're cooking," she answered.

He rolled his eyes as he took out some pans. Hange then started to ramble about her day, telling him all about the new intern and how she was almost as obsessed with science as Hange, but not as crazy. He learned that the intern wrote down anything and everything.

More importantly, Levi learned how much the brunette could talk. She loved to talk about her work and what she had been researching recently. He didn't care about any of it, but he listened none the less. While she continued rambling, he started making her tea which she had forgotten about. He also finished making their dinner, which was simple because they really needed to go grocery shopping.

Levi placed a plate in front of the women, who didn't noticed while she talked about the time her and Moblit blew up the lab by accident, along with her steaming cup of tea.

Hange finally noticed the full plate. "Oh! Why thank you, Levi." She gasped when she saw the tea, taking a sip.

"It's better without any added sweeteners, but if you don't like it, you can try it cold-" he stopped when she let out a curse word. He rolled his eyes, "Tch. Idiot. It's hot."

He handed her a napkin for some tea that hit the table.

"From what I could tell, it was very good," she said solemnly.

Levi tried to hold back another eye roll, "As if you could taste it." He grabbed his fork and motioned in her direction. "Eat."

Hange grinned as she took a bite of her food. They ate quietly for the most part. Hange would occasionally moan and compliment the food. It was 19:56 and Levi was tired. After washing the dishes, he flipped on the tv while Hange went into her room stating she had some reading to finish up.

Levi scrolled through the Netflix options, unsure of what to watch. In the end, he gave up and opened a random book on the end table. He began reading and immediately knew what book it was. He closed it and looked at the title.

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer.

He rolled his eyes, but continued reading anyways. He quickly found himself intrigued by the book. Levi's cousin made him watch the movie awhile back, but it was awful. The book was much better.

Suddenly, the couch dipped down beside him as someone sat down. He turned to see Hange peering at the book.

"Oohhh, a Twilight fan!"

Levi slammed the book shut, his face beginning to turn into a bright crimson. "No, I was just-"

"No, no, no," she put a finger to his lips to stop him from talking, "It's okay. I love the books. There is no shame in liking them, just don't tell anyone else."

Hange moved away, a huge grin on her face.

"Anyway, I'm heading to bed. That's what I came to tell you when I saw you engrossed in-" He shot her glare and she immediately stopped talking. "Well, goodnight!"

Levi got up, flipping the lights off and went to his room, book in hand.

—-

It was three in the morning and Levi just finished the first book. He knew he wouldn't sleep anytime soon, so he decided to go out and grab the second one. He tip toed outside of his room and turned the corner to the living room when he almost fell in surprise.

Hange sat on the couch, scribbling in a notebook, a thick text book beside her. Her hair was messy, almost all out of her ponytail. Her glasses sat on the edge of her nose. She hadn't noticed his presence yet, but as soon as he tried to sneak away, her head shot up.

"Levi?"

He turned back around, the book still in his grasp. "Hm?"

"Why are you up?" She asked before her gaze went down to his hand. Hange then let out an enormous laugh, "Oh. I get it. Here."

She stood up and went to her bookshelf and pulled out New Moon, the second book in the series. She walked over and silently switched books with him, her smirk never leaving her face.

"Thanks," Levi muttered. He was about to leave when he thought of something. "Why are you up?"

Hange shrugged, "Moblit is making me stay home tomorrow so I'm taking some notes right now."

Levi inwardly groaned. He had tomorrow off as well.

His phone began buzzing in his pocket. He silently reached for it, breaking eye contact with Hange. Erwin was calling.

"Hello?"

"Yeahhh, Levi!" A drunk Erwin answered.

Levi groaned, "What are you doing?"

"I'm partyyyingg! You should come! And bring Hange!"

He looked back up to Hange, who was looking at him curiously. "I'll pick you up," he sighed, "where are you?"

Erwin giggled, if a guy could giggle, "Oruo's house! Hurry! The beer might be gone when you get here!"

Levi hung up and groaned. He turned to face Hange. "I've got to go."

"What? Where?"

"Erwin is drunk off his ass at my coworkers place." He said while pulling on his shoes, ignoring the fact he was still in his plaid pajama pants.

She reached for his arm, "I'm going with you."

Instead of arguing, Levi just nodded. They hopped in his car, revving the engine before going to Oruo's house.


	6. Chapter 6

It took about ten minutes to reach Oruo's house. Both Levi and Hange were in their pajamas, but they didn't seem to care as they rushed out of the car and into the medium sized house. Inside, teenagers and adults swayed to the blaring music. It reeked of alcohol and Levi was stunned Erwin would even come to a party like this, let alone get drunk.

Levi raised a brow when he saw Eld, Oruo, and Petra talking in the kitchen. They had called in sick. All but Eld, of course. They all froze when they saw Levi leaning against the door frame.

"L-Levi," Petra stuttered.

He raised a hand, silencing her. "Save it. Where's Erwin?"

"I saw him head upstairs a few minutes ago," Eld said sheepishly.

"Alone?"

He nodded. Levi took off for the stairs when he realized Hange wasn't behind him. He frantically searched the crowd when he saw her talking to a guy who was quite a bit taller than him. It seemed like casual conversation, so Levi left them to talk while he went to go fetch Erwin.

When he made it up the stairs, there was a line of closed doors. Nervously, Levi opened the first one, immediatly slamming it shut when he saw what was going on inside. With a shaky hand, he opened the next one. Relief rushed through him when he saw Erwin laying on the bed.

"Ohh, Levi!" The drunken man said when he saw Levi. Erwin got up and tripped on his way to him. Levi barely caught him, the weight and height making it hard. He really wished he had Hange here to help him.

Levi made sure Erwin could stand, "Come on. Your going home."

Erwin pouted, "What? But you just got here?"

"You can walk. Let's go," Levi groaned, adjusting his weight.

"Where's Hange?"

"Downstairs," he grunted.

\---

Hange got lost in the crowd trying to follow Levi. Someone grabbed her wrist and now she was trying to politely decline a one night stand.

"I'm not interested."

The guy stepped a little closer, "Are you lesbian? Is that why?"

Hange coughed, "Um, no. I just think it's unattractive when guys blow their smelly breath in a girl's face."

That seemed to irk the guy because he took another step, his grip on her wrist tightening.

"And, um-" she tried to speak, her voice a little shaky, "I'm in my pajamas. Isn't that a turn off? I mean, look." She pointed to her fuzzy blue pajama pants.

He leaned closer, "It's not sexy, but I can just take them off."

Hange flung herself back, spinning so she was now behind the guy, but her wrist was still in his filthy hand.

\---

Levi got Erwin settled in the car before he turned back around to get Hange. He entered the nasty surroundings again, scanning the crowd of people.

"Hange," he muttered when he saw her very close to a guy. The guy had his fingers wound around her wrist. When he leaned forward, Hange jerked back and spun, now standing behind him.

The guy turned around fast, anger written all over his features. Levi immediately knew what was going to happen and was beside Hange in no time. The guy looked over at Levi before laughing.

"Is this why you weren't interested in me? You're dating this shrimp?"

Levi glared, reaching down to grab Hange's arm from the douche's grasp. The guy let go willingly, his laughter never stopping. Levi turned his attention to the woman in next to him. She looked fine. Not even frightened. Suddenly, the laughter stopped and a fist rammed itself into his face. Hange gasped while Levi grabbed his now throbbing cheek.

"You can do much better than that," the guy said as he reached for the brunette again. Levi ignored the growing pain in his face and slammed his fist into the guy, who fell onto his butt, too drunk to get back up. Levi nodded to Hange and they both sprinted out of the house and into Levi's car. He started it up and pulled out of the driveway.

Erwin, who had been passed out on the back, groaned and shifted in the seat. His eyes opened lazily, but shot open wide when he saw Hange.

"Hangeee!!"

She looked at him from the rearview mirror, "Erwin, I'd suggest you stay away from the happy juice for awhile. You are a pain in the ass when you're drunk."

"You're a pain in the ass not drunk," Levi muttered.

She shot him a look, but he just rolled his eyes. It was almost four-thirty, and still very dark. Hange was tired, but knew she'd make everything harder if she fell asleep in the car.

Erwin chuckled, "Wow. You two are so cute."

Hange felt her face redden. She didn't look at Levi, but she could tell he was embarrassed too.

"Shut the fuck up, Eyebrows. You've ruined my plans already." Levi said.

Hange hit his arm, "What? You're plans of reading the entire Twilight Saga?"

She saw his face burn a very bright crimson.

Erwin burst into laughter, "I love those books!" He then began rambling about how the movies made Bella a weak ass girl and how Edward was portrayed as a jerk in the movies. "Team Edward!" He punched the air and passed out.

Levi and Hange just ignored him until they reached the apartment. Levi didn't know where Erwin was living currently. They got out, dragging Erwin into the entrance. They both stumbled up the stairs trying to carry as much of his weight possible.

Once they managed to get him into the flat, they dropped his unconscious body onto the couch.

"Damn," Hange said, wiping sweat off her brow.

Levi nodded in agreement, "He better not shit himself."

Hange chuckled. "Well, I'm going to bed." She waved to him, retreating down the hall and into her room, leaving Levi alone in the living room with the passed out Erwin.

Levi rubbed his eyes before heading to his room also. Luckily, he found sleep immediately his head touched his pillow.


	7. Chapter 7

Hange groaned as sunlight poured in from the window, pulling the blankets over her head. It was probably late in the day, but she didn't care. It was her day off and sleeping in was on her agenda, but her plans were immediately forgotten when her bedroom door swung open.

Erwin stumbled in and threw up on her bedroom floor.

"Erwin!" She shrieked and flung herself from the bed.

Levi suddenly ran in, clad in black and red pajamas. He looked at Erwin, and then to the puke, and finally her before turning around disgusted.

"Sorry," Erwin said, "I thought this was the door to the bathroom."

Hange moaned, "You are so cleaning that up."

She stood up and readjusted her shorts. She was wearing shorts and an oversized Papa Roach t-shirt, her hair falling out of her ponytail. After they got back from picking up Erwin, Hange changed out of her blue pajama pants. She felt gross wearing them after being in such an environment. Hange walked over to her nightstand and put her glasses on.

Stepping around Erwin, she went into the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. Levi sat at the island, sipping his tea while scrolling through his phone.

"You don't work today?" She asked him, adding the coffee grounds to the coffee pot.

He shook his head, "Nope."

She nodded silently. Erwin walked in, a hand against his forehead. Hange grabbed the ibuprofen from the counter and tossed it to him.

"Thanks. Sorry about the accident. I cleaned it up," he said, a little embarrassed.

Levi raised a brow, "Why did you even get wasted last night? Do you remember anything?"

"I remember everything," he said miserably, "and I don't even know what caused me to drink so much. One beer and then I just didn't stop."

Hange poured him a cup of coffee and slid it over to him, "Creamer is in the fridge if you're weird."

"Keep it inside you, please," Levi said through his tea.

Erwin groaned, "I'll take you both to dinner tonight as thanks. I'm sorry for being such a bother."

"You should be. You're a grown ass man."

Hange rolled her eyes at Levi's statement, "It's okay, Erwin. Trust me, I can't take alcohol for anything. But dinner would be very nice."

It was Levi's turn to roll his eyes.

——

The day pretty much consisted watching Lucifer on Netflix while snacking on gummy worms. At around 16:00, Levi drove Erwin home to shower and change for dinner. Hange lounged on the couch, her eyes glued to the screen, a gummy worm halfway in her mouth when Levi got back from dropping Erwin off.

"Oi, shitty glasses."

Hange ignored him. She closed her eyes. She was tired. She only slept three hours that night.

"Four eyes."

She opened on eye, "What do you want, shorty?"

He glared at the nickname, "Erwin said he wants us ready by 18:30. He'll pick us up for this shitty dinner."

Hange closed her eye, "Okay."

—-

It wasn't long before Hange was snoring softy, hogging the entire couch.

Levi sat in the armchair, his gaze focused on her. She was quiet, other than the occasional word or two she'd sputter. He got up again and removed her glasses, setting them on the end table beside the couch. Levi reluctantly moved away from her, retrieving the book he's been reading from his room and settling back into the armchair.

He switched the tv off and started reading. He would never admit it, but he really enjoyed Twilight and was on the third book. He wondered what other good books Hange had stashed on her bookshelf.

Too soon was it 17:45. Closing the book, Levi got about and went to shake Hange's shoulder when he saw tears running down her cheeks. She began to thrash on the couch.

"No! Stop!" She yelled.

Levi has to back up for a moment to prevent getting smacked.

"Hange! Hange!"

He shook her until her eyelids fluttered open. Her hazel eyes looked sad and scared, but they immediately changed when she saw me. Hange shot up, trying to make to look casual, as if she hadn't just been yelling and crying in her sleep.

Ignoring Levi, she checked her watch. "Oh, look at the time." She got up and went into her room, presumably getting ready for dinner.

Levi slouched into the couch. What had she been dreaming about? Was she okay? She obviously didn't want to talk about it, so he decided not to bring it up. After five minutes, he went in his room to get ready. He chose jeans and a white t-shirt and a jacket to go over. He sat on his bed, still thinking about Hange.

—-

Hange sat against her door, wiping her tears on her arm. She hadn't had any nightmares for two weeks, so why now? Why in front of Levi? That was so embarrassing.

Wallowing in self pity, she got up rummaged through her closet before setting on skinny jeans, which she never wears, and a white button down top. She grabbed the clothes, trudging into the empty bathroom. Hange grimaced when she saw her reflection in the large mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks tear stained and spotted with pink. Sighing, she washed her face, hoping that maybe that would freshen her appearance a bit.

Hange three on the clothes and fixed her hair in its signature ponytail. She was about to reach for her glasses when she realized they were still in the living room, which probably meant passing Levi.

She slowly opened the door, peeking through the crack, but it was no use. From here, she would never be able to tell if Levi was in the living room. Hange straightened up, out on a brave face, and walked out. Luckily, the short man was no where to be seen. She snatched her glasses from the end table.

When she turned around, she nearly jumped out of her skin. Levi stood a door away from her, dressed in jeans and white shirt, an army green jacket sling over his shoulder.

"Erwin will be here soon. You should probably grab a jacket," he said.

Hange nodded nervously, relieved he hadn't mentioned earlier. She went back to her room and threw on a light coat. She went back into the kitchen where Levi was leaning against the counter. His phone buzzed. He glanced at it before looking up and her.

"He's here."

They quickly went down the stairs after locking the door. Erwin was parked out front in a grey pickup.

"Shotgun!" Hange called as she ran ahead of Levi.

She practically threw herself in the front seat of the truck, Erwin gave her a look that said, 'don't fucking hurt my truck'.

Levi mumbled a string of profanities as he got into the back seat. He didn't understand Hange at all. She was just moping back in the apartment, but now she was grinning and telling Erwin awful jokes.

She flicked on his radio and country started to blast from the speakers. Levi was surprised Erwin listened to country music, considering he had never lived anywhere outside the cities, but he was even more surprised to hear Hange belt out the lyrics.

Erwin grinned at Hange before singing along with her.

Levi tried to cover his ears so he didn't have to listen to such ear rape, but nothing could stop the sound of the two banshees in the front seat.


	8. Chapter 8

For Levi, the ride to the diner was miserable, but Hange and Erwin had a blast screaming the words to every country song that played. Levi had nothing wrong with country music, but when two tone deaf losers were singing, it was hell.

Luckily, the diner wasn't too far away, so he only had to listen to three songs before the radio was turned off. Hange laughed as she stepped out of the truck.

"That was fun. I had no idea you listened to country music, Erwin!" Hange skipped up to him. Levi shoves his hands into his pockets as he walked forward with a scowl on his face.

Erwin chuckled, "I didn't know you did either. You don't strike me as someone who would."

Hange waved her hand dismissively, "I listen to everything but rap. I actually lived on a farm back home for awhile. My mom lives in town now though."

They sat down at a booth. Hange slid beside Levi. A waitress walked up and placed menus in front of them, taking their drinks before leaving.

"Where are you from?" Erwin inquired.

"Canada, actually. I graduated early and moved here for college."

Levi muttered, "Nerd," before taking a sip of his black tea the waitress just placed in front of him. Hange stuck the straw in her Coke and took a long drink.

"What about you, Levi? Where are you from?"

He stiffened, "Ohio. I moved to Pennsylvania to be away from my family after I graduated."

Hange got the feeling he didn't want to discuss the topic further, so she faced Erwin. "And you?"

"Here. I've never left this city."

The waitress came back and took their orders. Hange got a bacon cheeseburger with a large side of fries. Erwin got a wrap, and Levi got a salad.

"You're so boring, Levi," Hange said when he told the waitress his order. "You're at a diner and you get a salad?"

He shrugged, not really caring what she thought.

Hange stirred her pop with the straw as she switched her attention to Erwin. "Did you know you giggle when you're drunk?"

Erwin's face went a shade darker, "Hange. We swore not to talk about last night."

They talked like this until their food came. Levi had no idea Hange could eat so much. She finished her food quickly and and babbled about science while they finished up.

"Moblit!" Hange suddenly called out. Levi turned around to see a tall guy with dirty blond hair, a short brunette beside him. She had a journal in her hand, a pen tucked behind her ear. Levi assumed she was the new intern Hange had been talking about. Ilse?

The guy, who was apparently Moblit, saw her and waved. He walked up to the table. "Hey, Hange."

Hange's eyes flickered to Ilse, "Hey, Ilse. What are you two doing together?"

Both Moblit and Ilse's faces went a shade darker. "Just dinner," Moblit shrugged.

"Just dinner?" She grinned. "Okay, I see. Have fun you two!"

"Moblit looks taller," Erwin commented after the two turned and left to another table a little ways away.

Hange just shrugged.

When they were all done, Erwin drove them back to the apartment. The pair thank him for dinner and went upstairs.

"I am stuffed," Hange announced when she walked through the door, throwing her coat onto the couch.

"Yeah? Maybe it's because you ate three times your size."

She plopped onto the couch, "At least I don't eat like a girl trying to be a supermodel. You barely touched your salad."

Levi rolled his eyes, "Whatever. I wasn't hungry. Now go bathe. You look gross."

Hange feigned hurt, "What? That's rude, Levi."

He ignored her, but was surprised to see her get up, but to his dismay, she went to her room and never came out, presumably going to bed. He trudged to her door.

"Oi, Four Eyes," he rapped on her door.

No answer.

Levi slowly opened the door. Inside, Hange slept quietly in her bed. He walked in and stared at her for a moment. He blushed when he realized he was being just like Edward, the vampire from the book he was reading. He turned and left her to sleep. She probably had an early day tomorrow.

He went into his room and decided he should probably attempt sleep as well. Levi was pleasantly surprised when he dozed off right away.

\---  
(dream)

Hange screamed, "Father stop!"

Her father walked up to her mother and swung hard. Her mom fell to the ground, her hand cupping her face. Her father, Jack, kicked her side a few times before turning to Hange. Hange was only seven.

"Do you want to take the rest of her punishment?" Jack asked his daughter. She nodded, unsure of what her mother was even being punished for. Jack grinned wickedly. "Okay."

He crept towards her. He started with a slap, the sharp sound echoed in the empty room. This wasn't the first time he had hit her, but Hange was surprised when he began to punch and kick her until blood covered her face.

She tried to hide her tears because she knew he would never stop if she cried, but when he kicked her one final time and told her to leave, she let it all out in her bedroom. Hange took off her broken glasses and dropped them on the floor. She cried until she had no tears left.

Hange suddenly shot up from bed, hitting her forehead against something hard. She groaned and rubbed the spot. She was drenched in sweat and tears. When she opened her eyes, Hange saw Levi massaging his head, concern etched across his face.

"Levi!"

"Hange, are you okay? You were screaming in your sleep," he asked her.

Hange suddenly got up from bed and rushed into the bathroom where she slammed the door shut. She would've locked it, but much to her dismay, the door didn't have one. She crouched in front of the toilet, tears running down her face as she threw up her bacon cheeseburger and fries.

The door opened and Hange felt her hair being held back. When she was done, Levi had her rinse her mouth with water and brush her teeth. He stepped outside. It was still early, four in the morning.

Levi didn't know what was wrong with her, but he decided he would make her call in sick for work today.

After a few minutes, Hange left the bathroom, even though she was scared to face Levi. He waited outside the door. He looked tired and Hange instantly bubbled with regret. She had woken him up.

"I'm sorr-" she started.

"No," he interrupted, "It's okay. Come on." Levi grabbed her wrist gently, and led her back to her room. "You're not going to work today. Just get some rest."

Hange sniffled and nodded. Tears were threatening to spill. She crawled into bed and pulled the covers over her tight. Soon, she was sleeping again. Levi prayed she wouldn't have any nightmares again. He waited in her room for about half an hour. When she didn't cry or shout in her sleep, he left.

Levi made himself a cup of black tea. When it was five thirty, he grabbed his phone and called the lab.

"Hello?" A voice like Moblit answered after the third ring.

"Hi, this is Hange's roommate, Levi Ackerman. I'm calling to tell you Hange is going to stay home sick today."

There was a rustling of papers, "Oh, okay. I hope she gets well. Thanks for calling."

With that, he hung up. Levi sighed before getting himself ready for work. Before leaving the flat, he left a note for Hange.

"I'll be at work. I made some coffee and chicken noodle soup for you. The soup is in the fridge. It needs to be warmed up. Please do not burn the apartment building down. And do not puke on the carpet! I'll be home at around 17:00.

-Levi"

\---

Hange chuckled as she read the note. She was feeling much better, but she was still exhausted, as if the dreams were draining all her energy. She should probably talk to Levi about her nightmares.

Suddenly, her phone rang. Hange raised a brow when she looked at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hange! Mom is sick!"


	9. Chapter 9

"I am so sorry, Levi," Petra all but bawled while shaking his arm violently.

She had been apologizing about the party for the last fifteen minutes. Levi didn't even care anymore, he was just worried about Hange.

"It's fine," he said shaking her off him.

Oruo pretty much tried to avoid all contact with Levi, along with Eld. No matter how much he insisted he didn't care, they wouldn't buy it.

"Fine," he said exasperated, "if you want to make it up to me, give me some advice."

Petra grinned, then frowned, "Advice? For what?"

Levi sighed, "My roommate has been having nightmares. She won't talk to me about it. What should I do?"

"I forgot about your new roomie! When can I meet her?!" She asked excited, but quickly recollected herself, "Sorry. Hm, she's having nightmares? I would just try to comfort her when you can see she needs it. Don't pry. She'll open up when she's ready. Um, maybe try opening up yourself. If she sees you trust her, she'll trust you."

Levi thought about that for a moment. Could he tell her about his past? No, not yet. He wasn't ready, so he'd have to respect Hange's decision not to tell him about her nightmares.

"Thank you."

Petra grinned again, "No problem! Seriously though, when can I meet her?"

Levi shrugged.

"What's she like?"

He shrugged again.

"What does she look like?"

Levi shot her an irritated look, "She's messy, likes to eat, reads romance and science textbooks, can't cook, and is loud. She is super smart and works in a fancy lab. She has sloppy, brown hair and eyes that match. She usually wears loose, brown pants and a pale yellow button down top. She hates spaghetti and puts eggs on her toast. Is that enough?"

Petra was a deep red color. She was surprised Levi had just said so much and almost scared when he lashed out, but soon she was smiling widely. He just described a girl in great detail. It was endearing.

"Thank you!"

She skipped away and went back to work. Levi rolled his eyes and restocked the shelves with tea and coffee grounds. His phone suddenly began to ring on his pocket.

"Yeah?" He answered gruffly.

"Levi, I have to go home," a panicked voice replied.

He switched ears, "Hange?"

"I- I need to go home."

"You are home? What's wrong?" He dropped the tea he was holding.

Levi heard a lot of shuffling through the speaker, "My mom is sick. I bought myself a plane ticket for Canada, but can you drive me to the airport. I know it's a lot to ask-"

"Of course," he interrupted. "I'll be there soon." He hung up and rushed into the office where Eld was doing paper work. "Is it okay if I go? There's an emergency back home."

Eld gave him the clear to leave, and Levi practically ran back to the apartment. When he got there, Hange was stuffing clothes into a suitcase. She was wearing black joggers and some anime hoodie he didn't know.

"What is going on?"

Hange looked up from her overpacked suitcase, "My mom is sick. I have to home and help her. I don't know when I'll be back, but I'll continue paying rent from there so don't worry. I already told Moblit I'm taking a leave of absence."

Levi just stared at her shocked. She was leaving? Finally, he snapped out of it.

"You have everything you need?"

She nodded.

He took her suitcase from her and led her out to his truck. Hange was shaking so bad. He wanted to hold her and tell her everything okay, but he didn't even know her situation at the moment. They got in his pickup. Levi made sure his radio wasn't too loud and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Want to talk about it?" He asked after a few minutes.

Hange shrugged, "There isn't anything to say. My mom is sick. That's all."

Levi could tell she wasn't telling him everything, but he didn't push any further. The rest of the drive was quiet. Levi didn't want Hange to leave, but he knew she had to go.

—-

When they reached the airport, they said their goodbyes. It hurt Hange to shake his hand when she wanted to give him a hug.

"Keep me updated," Levi said seriously.

Hange nodded, "I will."

Then she turned and left, leaving Levi alone. She went through security and boarded the plane, trying to reassure herself that her mom was okay.

From Lissa:

Mom is doing better. Please be here soon. I don't know how much longer I can take my father. You'll do something, right? When you get here?

Hange sighed as she typed a response to her step sister.

To Lissa:

I'll do something. I promise. Omw now!

Hange closed her eyes and leaned against the window, falling asleep.

—-

Levi sat in the empty and disturbingly quiet living room. He had finished the Twilight Saga and was bored out of his mind. Hange wasn't there to spout random science facts or talk about how her and Moblit destroyed the lab again.

He got up and scanned her bookshelf, eyeing the multiple spines. He took one by random and read the title.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black.

Sighing, Levi sprawled across the couch Hange style and began reading, immediately getting lost in the world of fiction.

—-

Hange was nervous. She stood in front of her house, too scared to ring the doorbell. After two minutes, she reached forward. The bell went off and she could here talking through the doors. Suddenly, the door swung open and Hange saw a short teenager with dirty blonde hair.

"Hange!" The girl threw her arms around her. She hugged back.

"Lissa!" She pulled back, "Are you okay? Where's mom?"

Lissa grabbed her hand, dragging Hange into the house, her suitcase forgotten on the porch, "She's in bed. Don't worry, dad is work still."

Hange felt naseau rise to her throat at the thought of her step dad. She had never had a good fatherly figure. Her own father beat her, but he was arrested for the murder of our neighbors many years ago, back when Hange was twelve. Her mother then remarried a couple years later, but he turned out to be the same. He beat her mom and his own daughter. Luckily, Hange was old enough to run to friend's houses sometimes, but this didn't work for her step sister and mom.

Lissa lead Hange to her mother's room. Inside, what she saw made her sick. Her mother lied there motionless, a large, purple bruise cover half of her face. Her lip was scabbed over and her knuckles were red and raw. Who knows what was hiding beneath her clothes.

She rushed over to her side. "We need to get her to the hospital," she said has she checked her wear breathing. Hange gently felt her ribs and checked for bruising. They were very dark. Hange turned to Lissa, "I'm pretty sure two or three ribs are broken, but I'm no doctor. Her breathing is weak, but I think her lungs are fine."

Lissa nodded, "I'll help you get her to my car."

The sound of the front door was heard. They both froze.

Footsteps came closer and soon enough, a tall man with daggers in his eyes stood before them.

"Ah, so you are home," he opened his arms, "Come give your dad a hug."

Anxiety rushed through her, "You're not my father. I never had one."

He chuckled, "Wow. You ran away and now you're back. You could at least have some manners."

He took a step forward. Hange took a step backward, but too soon she found herself against the wall. Her step father, Larry, got very close.

Hange suddenly heard the slap before she felt it. Lissa gaped at the two, before she charged at her father.

"Hange! Go! Call the cops."

She tackled her father to the ground. He struggled for only a second before he threw Lissa at the wall.

Hange ran out to get the house phone, Larry right behind her. She dialed 911, but she couldn't finish the call before I she found herself on the ground. She tried to scream, but a rough hand covered her mouth. Hange quickly bit his hand and he pulled back with a sharp cure word. Her shaky hands found the phone and she hit call.

Larry smacked her again, hard. She could taste blood in her mouth. From her spot on the floor, Larry on top of her, Hange landed her fist at him, landing square on his jaw.

She scrambled up, praying Lissa was okay. She grabbed a fire poker and swung hard at his head. He fell and didn't get back up.

Hange dropped the poker and ran into her mothers room. Her mom was untouched but Lissa lied on the floor, not moving. Checking her pulse, Hange felt relief wash over her when she felt her heartbeat.

It wasn't long before the cops were outside her house asking what happened.


	10. Chapter 10

It was three in the morning and Levi just got home from the bar. He wasn't drunk or anything, but he needed to get away from the silence. It was weird not having Hange around.

After throwing his coat on the rack, he decided to take a hot shower. His thoughts of Hange didn't disappear once his back hit the water like he thought they would. No, they got worse. Levi hadn't heard from her yet. Not one 'i made it safely' text or anything.

He groaned as he roughly scrubbed his scalp. Why was he so worried?

After getting out of the shower, Levi wrapped a towel loosely around his waist. He reached for his phone. He had decided he would text Hange first when his phone pinged in his hand.

It was a text from Hange.

From Four Eyes:

Everything is good here. My mom is in the hospital. I should be back by the end of the week.

Levi let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, but his relief soon turned into anger. That was the most bland text there was.

To Four Eyes:

That's good.

He slipped on some pajama pants and a t-shirt before plopping on the couch. Levi turned on the tv and watched Scooby Doo until he dozed off.

—-

Hange sat beside Lissa at the hospital. Her step father was arrested and thrown in jail.

A doctor walked up, "Are you Hange Zoë and Lissa Davis?" They nodded. "Your mother wants to see you. She's doing alright."

The doctor lead them down the long hallway and into a medium sized room. Their mother lied in bed, a small smile on her face when she saw the pair.

"Hange! Lissa!"

They both ran up hugged her, a large smile plastered to their faces along with a few tears. After a few minutes of crying, they pulled back. Hange's mother, Vivianne, took her hand.

"Are you okay?" She asked her biological daughter gesturing to the bruises on her face.

Hange nodded, "I'm fine. You and Lissa are all that matter now." She gave Lissa a smile. Her step sister grinned in response. Even though they were only related by marriage, it felt like they were full siblings and loved each other dearly. It helped that Lissa despised Larry as much as Hange.

With her other hand, Vivianne took Lissa's. "I'm so proud of both of you. The doctor said I'll be released in a couple days."

"I'll stay until the end of the week. Larry has been arrested," Hange replied with a small smile.

Vivianne sighed, stray tears running down her cheeks as she fell asleep.

—-

Levi was bored. He even took extra hours of work today hoping to stay busy for as long as possible to evade the lonely silence of the flat. Even though he would never admit it, he missed Hange and hoped her and her mother were alright.

But now he was sitting on his bed staring holes through the wall. He had read many of the books on her shelf and Netflix was getting lame. Levi had cleaned every room in the apartment. All but Hange's room. He didn't want to enter without her permission, so he contemplated shooting her text, but immediately decided against it.

With a sigh, Levi got up and walked to her door. He silently stood in front of for a couple minutes before slowly opening it. He hadn't been in there since Hange's nightmare and it looked the same.

Messy as fuck.

He eyed the dirty clothes on the floor next to the basket they were supposed to go in. Books were piled beside her bed along with candy wrappers. Her desk was the worst though. Papers and notebooks littered the top. Pencils and pens carelessly thrown on top across them.

Levi massaged his temples. I'll start with the desk. He grabbed a mason jar from the kitchen, neatly putting the writing utensils away. He stacked the papers and notebooks nicely. Levi decided against opening the drawers in fear of what could be in there. He put her books on the shelf she had in her room. Levi chuckled when he saw manga. He took one. Maid Sama. He rolled his eyes thinking about the childish romance she reads, not that he was any better.

Next, Levi picked up the garbage and dirty laundry. He opened her closet to put away some of the clean clothes that had found their way to the floor. He was about to put them on the hanger when a small box caught his eye in the back. Levi took the box in his hand, deciding whether or not to open it.

He didn't know much about Hange, but she didn't know much about him in return. He knew he shouldn't, but Levi opened the box.

Inside were newspaper clippings. Taking one, he read:

JACK ZOË CHARGED WITH MURDER

Long time father and husband was charged for the murders of his neighbors Sally and Ryan Huston. Zoë was arrested not too long after. His wife called the police. According to Vivianne Zoë, he abused her and her daughter.

He really wished he hadn't opened the box.

Levi pulled out his phone and dialed.

"Hello?" Came the familiar deep voice.

"Erwin, I'm sorry for calling so late."

There was some movement on the other end, "It's no problem. What the matter?"

"What do you know about Hange?"

Erwin chuckled, "Why?"

"I'm being serious, Erwin," Levi growled.

"Okay, okay. Sorry," he muttered. "Not much. We weren't best friends in college or anything."

Damn it Levi thought.

"Thanks," he said before hanging up.

—-

Hange sat quietly in the chair beside her mother, who slept. The two looked nothing alike. Hange had always hated her own appearance, since she looked more like her father, Jack, whom she still dreamt about.

Her mother never got a break. First Jack, then Larry. Larry had seemed amazing at first, but as soon as he had the ring on her finger it went downhill. It was a repeat of Jack. Lissa was the only good thing that came from him. When he moved in, his daughter came with and befriended her new sister quickly.

Hange's first reaction to Lissa was negative. She hated Larry and everything about him, but Lissa was nothing like her father. Despite the many years between them, they got along, but when Hange was eighteen, she left her mother and Lissa at the hands of Larry. Hange moved to the States, to Pennsylvania where she went to university despite having graduated high school at sixteen.

Hange kept in touch with Lissa through the years, but never hinted at visiting. It wasn't until she got the panicked call from her step sister that she flew home.

—-

Levi hated himself.

Why did he have to open the box? Now, all he could think about was what he found. He wanted to talk about it, but he couldn't. He couldn't let Hange know he snooped through her room.

Right, he told himself, just tell her that you cleaned. Don't hint at anything else. You didn't open the damn box.

Levi lied in bed. It was two in the morning and he had to work long hours tomorrow. Restless, he got up and began doing simple work outs, like pushups, sit-ups, burpees, etc.

He continued this way until the sun rose and he had to go to work.


	11. Chapter 11

The end of the week had arrived and Hange had just landed back in Pennsylvania. Levi was supposed to pick her up but she couldn't find him anywhere. Luckily, the bruise on her face from Larry had faded significantly, so Levi wouldn't ask any questions.

Hange pulled out her phone and dialed his number. After a couple rings, he picked up.

"Yeah?"

"Levi, where are you? I can't find you anywhere."

"What do you mean? I can fucking see you, Four Eyes," he replied with a scoff.

Hange spun around a couple times before spotting Levi on a bench about twenty meters away. "Ohhh!"

She hung up and ran over to him, her suitcase trailing behind her. When reached him, it took everything to resist the urge to hug him.

"Long time no see, Clean Freak," Hange grinned.

Levi rolled his eyes, "Right back at you, Shitty Glasses."

They walked out to his truck. He helped her get her heavy suitcase into the back before hopping behind the wheel, Hange sitting beside him in the passengers seat.

"How was it?" Levi asked after a few minutes of unbearable silence. He had expected Hange to be a lot more talkative after not being around him for a week.

Hange glance over to the raven haired man next to her. "My mom is better and she'll be doing really well from now on. So, how much did you miss me?" She asked with a grin changeons the subject.

Levi did miss her, but he wasn't going let her know that. "Hm, I'll miss the peace and quiet now that you're back."

Hange laughed, "Yeah, you'll be short on that for awhile."

He almost smiled. Almost.

The rest of the ride home consisted of small conversation. Soon enough, they arrived at the large apartment building.

"What do you want for dinner?" Levi asked her once they were inside.

"You're asking me? Wow, usually you just make whatever."

He rolled his eyes, "What do you want?"

"Tomato soup and grilled cheese!"

Levi gave her nod and began to make her request. She offered to help, but he simply told her rest from her flight. Hange sighed and went to her room to unpack her suitcase. When she was done, she lied on her bed, a book in her hand.

She had been reading for twenty minutes when she heard the patter of rain. With a gasp, Hange shot out of her room and out the door ignoring Levi's confused calls. She ran down the stairs faster than humanly possible and out the door in the pouring rain.

Hange sat on the sidewalk, her back against the the brick of the apartment building. She closed her eyes, soaking up the feel of the rain running down her face. After a few minutes, she felt the presence of someone beside her.

She opened her eyes and saw Levi. He sat there silently staring at her. She stared back and after a few seconds, he leaned back on the wall, his eyes falling shut. Hange imitated him. They sat there in silence for a couple minutes.

"What are you doing?" Levi asked, his eyes still closed.

Hange's eyes flicked open. "I'm enjoying the rain," she answered nonchalantly.

Her heart sped up when she felt the warmth of his head rest on her shoulder. "Dinner's ready," Levi whispered, his eyes never opening.

She nodded, not trusting her voice. Levi suddenly stood up and outstretched his hand. Hange took it and he pulled her up to her feet. The pair walked back up to the apartment, clothes dripping. They entered the flat, the smell of her favorite meal making her smile.

"Oi, don't drip on the floor. Go shower and change. I'll make sure the food stays hot," Levi ordered.

Instead of arguing over the shower, Hange nodded and went to her room to grab clothes before getting in the bathroom. She was cold, so she was relieved when the warm water engulfed her. She showered quick, eager to eat her food.

After her shower, Hange towel dried her hair as much as possible before slipping on an over sized shirt and a pair of running shorts. She skipped into the kitchen to see a dry Levi setting the table.

"Here," he said sliding a plate and bowl over. He scooped himself some soup and took a sandwhich. Hange did the same.

"Did you know that the average human produces enough saliva to fill two bathtubs a year," Hange said through her grilled cheese. "I don't know what that has to do with our food, but I just remembered reading that the other day and thought it'd be nice to share with you."

Levi set his sandwich down on his plate. "Was that necessary?"

"Sorry," she shrugged clearly not sorry. "In severe cases of starvation or even when you're just dieting, the brain eats itself. The cells begin to eat the other cells which causes—"

"Shitty Glasses, shut up."

Hange grinned at his reaction, but kept quiet.

After dinner, she flung herself across the couch as usual. Levi washed the dishes, his mind never leaving the clippings he had found in her room. He wanted to talk about it, but how would he start that conversation?

Oi, Hange, I was snooping through your room and found some old newspaper clippings about a murder your dad committed. Oh, and were you abused?

No, definitely not.

With a sigh, Levi finished up the dishes and joined Hange in the living room. She sat up and scooted over, patting the seat beside her. Levi sat beside her.

"I have some research to catch up on since I missed a whole week of work."

With that, Hange got up and went in her room, leaving Levi alone on the couch. He watched her leave. After staring blankly at the wall, he got up from his sitting position and went over to the closet where all his cleaning supplies was kept.

He cleaned for two hours, even though everything was spotless.

\---

Hange kept reading the same paragraph over and over. She couldn't focus on her work at all, which wasn't like her. She glanced at her phone for the time. 01:25.

She let out a loud, unladylike groan that the neighbors on the other side of the wall could probably hear. She got up from her desk and walked out into the chilly hallway, her bare feet numb against the cool floor. Hange padded over to Levi's room and lightly knocked on the door. When she got no answer, she slowly opened it, peering inside the room. Inside, she saw Levi sitting cross legged on the floor, a book in his lap. He didn't seem to have heard her and when she plopped down beside him, he jumped.

"Oh, Four Eyes," he breathed.

Hange laid her head against his bed. "What are ya up to?"

Levi shot her an irritated look before rolling his eyes, "Reading. What does it look like I'm doing? Taking a shit?"

"Sorry, sorry," she chuckled.

He just went back to reading while she sat there, eyes glued to the ceiling. It didn't take long for her to grow bored. Hange leaned close to Levi, trying to read over his shoulder. He pulled away swiftly, as if burned by her touch.

"What are you doing? When was the last time you bathed?"

Hange mimicked Levi's eye rolling technic, "You made me after we sat in the rain, Shorty. Don't you remember?"

"Tch."

Levi relaxed a little, letting Hange read the book she had already read dozens of times over his shoulder, but immediately tensed when he felt her head touch him.

"Levi?" Hange whispered.

"Hm?"

She closed her eyes, "Why don't you smile?"

He didn't answer. At first, he felt guilty when he made no move to speak again, but her soft snores interrupted that. Levi stood up, careful not to wake the sleeping scientist. He picked her up, one arm looped around her back and the other under the back of her knees, and carried her back to her room. He set her down softly on her bed, pulling the blanket to her chin and setting her glasses on the nightstand beside her bed.

Once he was sure she wasn't going to wake up or scream in her sleep, Levi tip toed into his own room and was dreaming of tea and a tall brunette quickly.

\---

"Holy fucking shit, I'm so late!"

Levi shot up in his bed, the scream immediately waking him up. He charged out of his room to see Hange. She was still in her shorts and loose tee, a jacket over her shoulders, sloppily pouring coffee into a Yeti cup. Her hair wasn't even in what could be considered a pony tail.

"What the fuck are you doing, Four Eyes," he barked.

Hange yelped and jumped ten feet in the air. "I'm late!" She yelled, pointing a long finger towards the clock on the stove.

It read '08:01'.

His face paled when he realized he was late too. Levi pushed her back into her room, ignoring her cries of protest, "Get dressed. I'll drive you to work."

"I can go in my pajamas! I'll only see Moblit and Ilse."

He felt his eyes trail the length of her body. Her long, tan legs were very exposed and for some reason, Levi got angry at the thought of Moblit or anyone else seeing her that way. "No. Go change."

Hange groaned, but did as she was told. Levi then took his own advice and got dressed. While in his room, he heard a phone ping, but it wasn't his. He then saw a white iPhone XR sitting on the floor by his bed. It was Hange's.

Levi snatched it, running over to her room.

"Oi, Shitty Glasses, you forgot your-" he stopped when he opened her door and saw Hange pulling on a clean shirt, but that wasn't what had him speechless. It was the raised, white scars that caught his attention. Her back was decorated with them.

She turned to face him and Levi pretended to not have noticed. "Oh. Thanks."

Her answered snapped him out of his daze. "Come on."

Levi lead Hange out to his truck. She gave him directions to the lab. He was surprised by how close it was and he dropped her off, her thanks echoing in his head as Levi replayed the earlier scene in his head.


	12. Chapter 12

"Oruo! Again?!"

Levi just ignored Petra's yelling, mopping the floors now that it was closing time. Oruo had been complaining about a certain costumer that comes in to buy thirty boxes of chai tea every day when he bit his tongue. He always seemed to do that when he was ranting about other people.

Petra patted Oruo's back comfortingly while he nursed his mouth.

"Seriously, Oruo? Maybe you shouldn't bad mouth people and that wouldn't happen," Eld mumbled as he counted the money in the register. "Levi, you can go if you need to pick up your roomie."

Levi had texted Hange earlier that day saying he would pick her up from the lab and after much arguing, she agreed. He nodded a thanks as he finished mopping. When he was done, he slipped on his coat and stepped into the chilled air. It was early December and the air was sharp.

He was grateful for the heat of the truck when he started it. It only took a few minutes for him to reach the building. Levi took the nearest parking spot to the doors so he wouldn't have to be out in the cold for long.

He got out and quickly walked into the large building. When he went through the doors, he saw someone in a suit sitting behind a desk, her eyes glued to the computer screen in front of her. Levi approached the desk, coughing slightly to get her attention.

"Yes?"

"Where is Hange Zoë's lab?" He asked politely.

She raised a thin brow, "And you are?"

"Levi Ackerman," he answered, irritation evident in his voice.

"You do know this is a science department. You can't just visit whoever whenever."

Levi slapped his hand against the table, causing the lady to jump, "Just call her or something saying I'm here."

The woman nodded furiously, fumbling for the phone. "Miss Zoë, someone is here to see you. Send him in? Okay, on it. Thank you." She hung up. "Lab 251, second floor."

Levi thanked her and went to the elevator, clicking the button to go up. The door opened and inside a guy with sandy hair stood tall, a stack of papers in his arms. Levi recognized him as Moblit from the diner. He entered, ignoring the man beside him until Moblit coughed.

"Um, Levi, right?" He asked.

Levi nodded.

"So. . ." Moblit said awkwardly, "You're here to see Hange? I was just on my way to drop of some papers. I'll show you the way."

Levi eyed the huge stack in his arms. Was all that for Hange? The double doors opened to a long hallway. It looked like a hospital, except the doors to the labs were far apart from each other, probably because the rooms were all rarely large. Moblit led him down pretty far to a door. He knocked twice and opened it, walking inside. Levi followed hesitantly.

"Holy shit," he said when he saw the room.

Inside, a desk was shoved up against the wall, papers and books scattered. The room was huge, three fourths of it separated by a thick glass wall. On the side Levi was on, a bookshelf was overflowing with science books and beakers. On the other side, it looked like any regular science lab, beakers neatly in cases along with other science tools he didn't know the names of. It was surprisingly clean, unlike the part he was standing in.

Hange stood by her bookshelf, rummaging through books and papers. Her hair was falling out of its ponytail, loose strands running down the back of her white lab coat.

"Oh, Levi," she said when she saw him. "Whatcha doing here?"

He shot her a glare, "Don't you remember? I told you I was picking you up."

Her hazel eyes lit up, "Oh yeah! Let me just finish some paper work and-"

"No," Moblit interrupted. "I can finish it for you."

"No, no, no. I couldn't let you do that Moblit. You have a date with Ilse and you can't be late."

His face reddened. "But don't you have a date with Levi?"

Hange blushed furiously, avoiding eye contact with Levi, who's face matched hers. "No!"

"Oh. . ."

After arguing for a while, Moblit finally agreed to letting Hange do her own paperwork, since he was already running late. With a nod, he took off, leaving Levi and Hange alone in her lab. She grimaced at the pile of papers on her desk.

"Do you mind waiting? I shouldn't take long. There's a chair in the corner there."

Levi shook his head and sat in the chair she pointed at. He watched as she filled out papers and wrote lab reports. He noted that she bit her lip when she was focused, her eyebrows nit in concentration. He also saw that she was left handed. (A/N idk if she is or not, but in this fanfic, she is)

—-

After an hour, Hange had finished most of it, stating that she'd get the rest tomorrow. Hange stretched and saw Levi sleeping silently on the chair, his head rested uncomfortably on his shoulder. She walked over and poked his cheek.

Her hand was suddenly in his cold grasp, his steel eyes locked and narrowed at her.

She gasped and tried to pull her hand away, but his grip only tightened.

"Don't do that again," he whispered huskily, his voice deep from having slept.

Hange felt her face flush as he released her, back up away from him a significant amount.

"I'm ready to go now," she said, her voice shaky.

Levi nodded and they walked together to his truck after locking up her lab.

—-

"So," Hange said, half her body of the table, leaning towards Levi. They had been back for about thirty minutes and he had just sat at the table sipping tea while scrolling through his phone. "There are football reruns on tv tonight. Can we invite some people over and have some beer?"

"No."

"What? Pleeaasseee!"

Levi shook his head.

"Fine. Give me three good reasons."

"Football is shitty. I don't trust you and beer. And I don't want to talk to people," he answered immediately.

Hange scoffed, "Then lock yourself in your room! I'm going to invite them anyway. And football isn't shitty."

She pulled out her phone and called Nanaba despite Levi's plites of protest. Nanaba answered on the second ring.

"Hange! I haven't heard from you in forever! Are you okay?"

Hange chuckled, "I'm great. Do you and Miche wanna come over for some football reruns and beer?"

"Hell yeah! We're on our way!" She then hung up.

Grinning, Hange then shot Erwin a text.

"What about your coworkers, Levi? Wanna invite them?"

Levi groaned, but to Hange's surprise, texted them nonetheless. "They can all come. All but Gunther."

"Great! Erwin can come too!"

—

About thirty minutes later, everyone had shown up. Nanaba and Miche came with a bunch of beer. Levi watched with interest as he saw Petra light up when she saw Hange in the kitchen.

"Oh my gosh! Are you Hange?" She threw her arms around the brunette. Hange awkwardly hugged her back.

"Yep. I take your Petra?" She replies when the red head released her.

Petra nodded vigorously. They then began talking.

Levi walked over to Erwin, who had already cracked open the beer. "I'm already tired of this."

Erwin chuckled, taking a swig from the can, "Yeah? I'm here to watch football, so I'm headed to the tv."

Levi didn't follow his friend into the living room. Instead, he observed the people around him. Oruo and Eld talked quietly in a corner. A small blonde was bouncing around a tall, sandy haired man. The blonde smiled when she saw Levi and walked over, giving him a hug. He tense, shocked that the stranger had just hugged him. She pulled back, a large grin on her face.

"I'm Nanaba. You must be Levi?" He nodded. "This is my fiancé Miche."

Levi hesitantly shook his hand. Miche leaned forward and sniffed. Levi recoiled at the tall man's oddness.

"Sorry, he has a keen sense of smell and can tell a lot about one's character," Nanaba explained. "Anyways, I better try to keep Hange out of the beer. She doesn't drink often, but when she does, it's crazy."

With that, she rushed off to her friend, leaving him alone with Miche.

"I'm going to get a beer. You want one?" Miche offered.

"No thanks."

Levi massaged his temples as he went to the living room to join Erwin on the couch.


	13. Chapter 13

Nanaba said she was going to make sure Hange didn't get too drunk, but instead just got trashed with her. Levi was currently trying to get Hange off of the table.

"Levi! Don't be a party pooper. Join me!" She yelled.

Nanaba giggled as she watched her friend, "Hange! Dance for him!"

"Great idea!"

"No, no, no!" Levi yelled, pulling the drunken woman off of the table.

Petra, Eld, and Oruo had left an hour ago, but Erwin, Nanaba, and Miche remained. Erwin only had one beer, still horrified by what happened last time he got wasted.

"Erwin, help me!" He yelled, as Hange thrashed in his arms.

Erwin sighed, walking forward until Nanaba stopped him. "No! Don't interrupt the Levihan moment!"

Levi immediately dropped the scientist with a loud thud.

"Ow, you fucking shorty! That hurt!" She whined, rubbing her butt.

Miche took Nanaba's arm gently, "Honey, I think it's time to leave." She nodded sleepily and they left after Miche mouthed a 'sorry' to Levi.

When they were gone, Hange took off towards the bathroom. Levi assumed she went in there to throw up, so he followed her slowly, but when he reached the open bathroom door, he saw Hange struggling to take her pants off.

Erwin, who had followed Levi, grabbed the door knob and slammed it shut. "What is she doing?"

"I have no idea," he answered, still dazed by what he saw. The sound of the shower stopped his train of thought.

"Is it safe to let her shower drunk?" Erwin whispered.

Levi whispered back, "She doesn't shower sober, so I think we should just let her." They walked to the living room, football still blasting from the tv. Levi shut it off and fell back against the couch, Erwin following suit. "I am never letting Hange invite people over again."

Erwin nodded in agreement, "I'll remind you when you fall under her spell and can't say no to her."

"The fuck are you talki-" Levi was cut short by the sound of something falling hard coming from the bathroom. He shot up, running full speed. He threw the door open.

"I'm naked!" Hange screamed.

Levi closed his eyes, even though he couldn't see through the shower curtain anyway. "What happened?"

"I am A-OK."

He heard shuffling from inside the shower, the water still running. "You sure? I'll grab you some clothes and bring them in here, okay?"

"Mhm."

Levi walked to her room and opened her closet. He grabbed some shorts and a shirt. Deciding he wasn't going to grab her underwear for both their sakes, he brought the clothes back into the bathroom, setting them on the sink and leaving.

"What was that about," Erwin sighed.

"Hange fell in the shower." He nodded as if that was a normal thing and stared at his phone screen. Levi slumped beside him. "Are you leaving soon?"

"Yeah."

"Levi! You forgot underwear!" Hange suddenly ran into the living room, a towel around her hips, her hair soaking her shirt.

Levi groaned, "Then go to your room and get it yourself. You're out of the shower now."

"Oh, yeah. Silly me," she sang to herself as she wobbled back to her room.

Erwin chuckled. "I'm outta here before something even crazier happens. Bye!" He got up and left before Levi could respond.

After a couple minutes, a fully dressed Hange stumbled into the room, hair still drenching her top. She sat on his lap, causing Levi to freeze. She fumbled with the buttons on his shirt.

"Hange, what are you doing?" He breathed.

She leaned forward, biting his earlobe before answering, "What do you think?"

"You're drunk, Four Eyes ," Levi whispered, eyes closed.

She was halfway done with the buttons when Levi gently pushed her away. She pouted slightly when he set her next to him.

"It's because I'm not beautiful, isn't it?"

"No, it's—"

"It's because I'm not as pretty as Petra or Nanaba."

Levi took her hand and said "No, Hange, you're gorgeous inside and out. Besides, I don't want to take advantage of you."

The brunette reclined back and slurred, " I'm tired..." and leaned sideways to lay her head against Levi's shoulder.

He smiled softly at her newfound innocence and lightly picked her up and carried her to bed. He tucked her in and pulled the yellow blanket up to her chin and put her glasses on the cluttered nightstand.

"I have nightmares," she confessed in her drunk, sleepy state. Levi already knew this, but she was actually opening up.

"About?" He prompted.

Hange clumsily put her hand to his mouth and whimpered, "No. Shh. Just let me sleep."

Levi pressed his cold lips against Hange's flushed forehead, murmuring, "You're beautiful, Shitty Glasses."

He turned to leave, but she grabbed his hand. "Stay? Until I fall asleep?"

He nodded, sitting down on the edge of her bed. It wasn't long before she was breathing evenly.

Levi returned to the living room, the pungent odor of spilled alcohol assaulting his nose. He wrinkled his face in disgust, and began picking up crumpled beer cans littered across the flat. He'd be damned if he allowed his place to stay in this condition.

Soon, the smell of alcohol was replaced by bleach. Levi nodded to himself, content. After a quick shower, he crawled into bed, exhaustion taking over.

"Levi, I just want you to know that I love you and I'll always be with. Go find yourself a good, hard working woman and treat her well," Levi's mother whispered. "Your Uncle Kenny will be taking you in. I know he's not the best, but he's all we have."

Levi closed his eyes, cursing the tears that threatened. After all, he was eleven and that's too old to cry. He couldn't be weak.

"But, Mom," he choked back a sob.

Kuchel took his hand in hers. "You'll make it through this. Be strong. Remember, treat your girl with love and care."

When she closed her eyes one final time, Levi let out a cry. There was nothing he could do. Nothing but absorb the words she had said.

After an hour, Kenny came and took Levi, not even caring that the boy had just lost his mother and he'd lost his sister.

"Come on, boy. We got work to do."

He was forced to live with the drunken relative he barely knew. Levi hated him. Kenny would only drink, curse at Levi and his mother. He was always muttering about how Kuchel had dumped the boy into his possession.

Levi was extremely lucky Kenny had never raised a hand at him, but his time with his uncle changed his view of the world.

His mother was always kind and put Levi first. Kenny ignored his existence except for when he wanted something. Secretly though, he was grateful for it. His uncle was a gang leader as well. It was a miracle Levi wasn't wrapped up in it as well.

That didn't stop him from seeing the awful things Kenny did to other people though. He had seen leftover dead bodies in alleyways, fingernails and clumps of hair stashed in Kenny's coat pocket. Why? He did not know nor did he want to.

When Levi turned eighteen, he moved to Pennsylvania, only a state away. He hadn't heard from Kenny since. It wasn't the most healthy childhood.

—

Levi woke up in a cold sweat. It had been awhile since he dreamt or even thought of Kenny. With a loud groan, he checked the time on his phone.

'04:56'

Four hours of sleep.

He was now fully awake, so he made himself a cup of tea and read a book.


	14. Chapter 14

Hange's head was throbbing. She sat up in her bed, nauseated. Suddenly, she was throwing up all the contents in her stomach, covering her shirt and bed.

"Ah, fuck," she cursed, groaning.

Her door flung open and in waltzed Levi. "Shit." He dragged her from the mess of her bed and pulled her into the bathroom. Levi grabbed the Tylenol from the cabinet and gave her some water from the sink. "Take this. I'll get the shower ready and wash your bedding."

He turned on the shower, checking the temperature before he left her alone in there. Hange didn't even remember anything from last night. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

She undressed from the smelly clothes and jumped in the shower, quickly scrubbing herself down.

She cursed again when she realized she had left her clean clothes in her room. With what little bravery she mustered, Hange wrapped a towel around herself and walked out of the bathroom.

\---

Levi had taken all of Hange's bedding, throwing it in the washer. He would have to wait until she was out of the shower to get her clothes though. Sitting on the couch, he waited for her finish. It was a good thing today was Sunday, so neither of them had to work. That was the only reason the brunette allowed herself to get drunk.

The bathroom door suddenly opened and Hange walked out, only a fluffy, white towel around her, her long, tan legs completely exposed. The scientist turned to walk to her room, her back once again catching his attention. Levi scanned the scars that littered her skin, before shooting up from his spot on the couch. He grabbed her arm roughly, stopping her from walking to her room.

"Is that from your father?" He asked, venom dripping from his lips.

Hange just stared at him in fear and shock, not able to answer.

Levi willed himself to calm down, gently pulling her into the living room and to the couch, sitting down.

"Let me tell you a story." He took a breath, his grey eyes meeting her hazel ones. "There once was a boy who lived in the really shitty part of town with his mother. She had made some poor decisions in her life and I was one result of it, but she never regretted it. When the boy was eleven, his mother got very sick. They couldn't afford medicine or treatment, so she died. The boy was then forced to live with his uncle.

"The boy's uncle pretty much ignored him. The uncle was apart of some pretty ugly things and drank a lot. Because of this, even though he was ignored, the boy had seen some pretty disturbing things, like corpses, gang fights, drug deals. The list goes on. When he turned eighteen, he moved to Pennsylvania where he got an apartment, but many years later he was on the brink of eviction. Then, he met the weirdest, messiest woman in history and continues to clean up after her." Levi gave her a small smile.

He looked at Hange. She had tears running down her face. Her eyes holding the most care he'd seen since his mother. Clutching the towel tighter, she began to whisper.

"My mother married my father before I was born. She told me that he was really kind to her until they got married. Then I came along. They fought a lot and one time, he hit my mother and I tried to defend her. That's when he began hitting me as well. A lot of times, I would secretly take beatings for her. One time, when I was nine, he went too far and killed the neighbors. To this day, I don't know why. We were happy for a few years, then my mother cam home with a man. He was my step father and he had a kid with another woman before they met, so when he married my mom, I had a half-sister.

"I didn't like her at first, but despite our big age gap, we became friends. My step father, a year after they married, also began hitting us. I was tired of it and I pitied my mom. As soon as I was eighteen, I selfishly moved out of the country and left my mom and sister there to endure him. I ignored all contact with them for the most part, but when my sister called saying my mother was sick, I immediately knew he had hit her too hard. So, as you already know, I flew home and took her to the hospital and the pig got thrown into prison."

Hange was full blown crying now. Not knowing what to do, Levi took her hand as he processed her story. She had opened up, and so had he.

She gulped and continued, "I hate myself for leaving my mom and sister with him without doing anything. I was so stupid.

Levi suddenly let go of her hand, and wrapped his arms around her, forgetting she was just in a towel. "It's okay," he breathed into her hair, "They are safe now. And so are you."

"I guess we're both messed up," Hange chuckled, pulling away from the warmth of his body. She wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm so sorry about your mom."

He shrugged, "It was a long time ago. I'm sorry you had live through that hell."

Hange gave him a small smile, "I'm going to get dressed."

Levi watched as she walked back into her room, his eyes glued to her back. Despite the many hardhsips she has suffered, she was a happy go lucky person and she worked extremely hard. He admired her for that. She had been through more than him, and she still had a smile.

"What did I do drunk?" She asked suddenly.

He smirked, "I'm not telling."

\---

Christmas was getting closer and closer, along with Levi's birthday. It had been a week since the two had told each other their stories, no awkwardness between them. Hange was currently at the mall with her best friend Nanaba.

"What do you think I should get Miche?" She asked for the thousandth time.

"Hm," Hange pretended to think, "I have no clue."

Nanaba sighed, "What are you getting Levi?"

She grinned, "For his birthday, I'm getting him a nice watch. He looks like a watch guy to me, but he doesn't wear one. For Christmas, I'm getting him some expensive teas from other countries. I think he'd really enjoy trying them."

"Aw! That's so cute!" Nanaba matched Hange's smile.

Hange slapped her shoulder playfully, "We are just friends, Nanaba."

"Yeah, well, invite me to the wedding, would you?"

Deciding to ignore her friend, she walked into a book store, carefully eyeing the spines of the books. She had read all her books many times and needed something new.

Nanaba had followed her in, quickly scuttling to the romance section. Hange rolled her eyes and went to the fiction section. She snagged a paranormal romance novel from the shelf, reading the description. With a smile, she tucked her under her arm, followed by the rest of the series.

She skipped to manga section. She hid her manga in her closet, mostly to keep it away from Levi. Grinning, Hange grabbed the first three Fruits Basket books.

With her arms loaded with books, she went to find Nanaba. She found her friend sitting on the ground reading the ending of a book.

Hange gasped, "Nanaba! You can't do that!"

Nanaba's head shot up. She smiled sheepishly before eyeing the books in her arms, laughing, "Hange. I thought we were Christmas shopping for other people!"

The brunette shrugged, "Merry Christmas to me."

The pair walked to the check out and paid for the books. Arms now loaded with shopping bags, they went to the next store. Hange wanted her friend to help pick out Levi's watch. Entering the store, their eyes widened at all the glowing jewelry.

Hange quickly grabbed Nanaba's arm, trying to pull her away from the elegant rings and expensive necklaces, and led her to the watches.

"Oh, wow!" Nanaba gasped. "This store is crazy! Look at that one!"

She pointed to a grey watch. It was lined with silver. It was beautiful, but a lot of fucking money.

Hange scanned the options, and her eyes caught a shiny, black, clean watch. It was perfect. Ignoring the price, she pointed to the watch and told the employee, "I'll take this one."

Nanaba was amazed by the purchase and when they were both seated in her car, she told her friend, "Hange, no one spends that much money on someone who's 'just a friend'."

"I'm not short on money, so it's fine! And we are friends."

"Mm, I think you want to be more."

Hange tugged on her sleeve nervously, "No, no. I think he's attractive, but that's all. He can be sweet sometimes, but he can also be a dick."

"Okay. I have a question. The morning of your hangover, what did he do? Did he take care of you?"

She thought back to last week. He had washed her bedding and clothes, made her toast for her stomach, got a shower ready, and they had both opened up.

"He was at work," she lied.

Nanaba scoffed, "Whatever. You took way too long to answer, but I won't push."

The rest of the ride was silent and eventually, Nanaba dropped the brunette off at her flat.

When Hange opened the door to her apartment, book bags and other gifts in her arms, she struggled to close it. It was 19:45, and Levi should be home from work by now, but she didn't see him anywhere. The scientist put her new books away, the manga going her closet, and hid Levi's presents under her bed.

Suddenly, she heard the door slam shut. Hange skipped out to see Levi holding bags, a scowl on his face.

"You're late," she sang.

"Tch."

He walked passed her and into his room, dropping off the gift bags. He had went shopping for Hange's Christmas present. Normally, he didn't give gifts, but he knew the brunette would buy him something, so he decided to get her something.

Making sure his door was closed, Levi pulled out a beautiful journal. It was brown leather, the spine engraved.

He smiled, imagining her writing in it.


	15. Chapter 15

It was Christmas.

Hange sat next to the fake tree she put up a couple weeks ago. She would have preferred a real one, but Levi said no. Plus, it would be hard to get a real tree to the third floor.

She sat cross legged, putting Levi's gifts underneath. Something caught her eye. A present neatly wrapped sat there, alone. She gingerly picked it up.

To Four Eyes  
From Shorty

Hange smiled softly at the gift. Setting it back down, she wondered when Levi could have put it there. It was four in the morning. She had just gotten up to her gifts for Levi under the tree.

"Hange?" A low, husky voice said.

She turned to see Levi standing behind her in his pajamas. She immediately jumped up, running over to him.

"Happy birthday, Levi! And Merry Christmas!" She felt his body stiffen when she wrapped her arms around him, his face buried in her shoulder. Eventually, he relaxed and hugged her back.

Levi pulled away, his cheeks flushed, "Thanks. And Merry Christmas to you too."

Hange grinned before taking his hand and dragging him to the tree. She pulled him down and together they sat beside the tree, the lights plugged in. In the light, Levi could see the red covering her face. Her hair was messy and her glasses were crooked, but she looked beautiful. He stared at her, the Christmas lights outlining her figure.

"Here," She said, snapping him from his thoughts. She handed him one of the presents from underneath the tree. It was a small box, wrapped very sloppily in birthday paper. He took it carefully. "That one is your birthday present. Open it."

Hange giddily watched as Levi slowly peeled away the paper from the fancy black box. He opened the box, nervous for what hid inside.

Inside was a very beautiful, clearly expensive, obsidian watch.

"Hange," he breathed, "you didn't have—"

"I know," she cut him off, gently taking the watch from him. She took his left hand and nimbly put it on him. Levi watched, barely breathing as she got closer to set the time. When she pulled away, he could breath again.

They both stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds before Hange coughed a little and grabbed the other gift. This one was Christmas paper, equally poorly wrapped as the other one.

"Here. Your Christmas gift."

Levi wanted to argue that she didn't need to get him two presents, but the look in her eyes made him stop. He took it. This one was slightly bigger. He opened it and inside were some rare teas from other countries. He almost grinned.

"Thank you, Four Eyes," he said gently before grabbing the gift he neatly wrapped for her.

Hange took it, almost jumping in her spot as she unwrapped it quickly.

"Oh my gosh, Levi! It's so beautiful!" She squealed when she saw the journal. The spine was engraved with her name and the cover was beautifully etched with flower drawings. She opened to the first page, which had Levi's neat calligraphy on it.

Merry Christmas Four Eyes. I hope you like it.

-Levi

Hange grinned. "I love it, Shorty. Thanks so much!"

He watched as she flipped through the blank pages, a small smile playing his lips. Levi stood up and offered a hand to the brunette. She took it, a quizzical look on her face.

"Come on. I'll make breakfast," he said.

They walked into the kitchen, a bounce in Hange's step. The only lights were the Christmas ones she had strung up, and Levi decided to leave it that way.

He pulled out a frying pan and grabbed the eggs. With a grin, Hange grabbed the bread and made toast while he fried the eggs.

After ten minutes, they duo sat at the table across from each other, both digging into their breakfast. Hange put her eggs on her toast and Levi sipped his tea. He looked at the scientist with satisfaction. It had been a pretty good Christmas morning and he wouldn't want to spend his birthday with anyone else.

"Ugh, I'm stuffed," Hange said patting her stomach.

Levi raised a thin brow, "Yeah?"

She nodded and closed her eyes. "What do you wanna do? It's your birthday and we still have all day."

He checked his new, shiny watch for the time. It was only 05:30

"Whatever you wanna do." He said.

Her eyes flew open and she grinned, "Christmas movie marathon!"

Levi had never really watched Christmas movies growing up, so he shrugged, agreeing to her proposal.

Hange jumped up, running into the living room, turning the tv to Rudolph. She sat on the couch, patting the spot beside her. He walked over and reluctantly sat down.

They were only about twenty minutes into the movie when Hange had her head on the raven haired's lap, snoring softly, and it wasn't long before Levi had his head leaned back against the couch, his eyes closed.

—-

Someone coughed awkwardly, making Levi open his eyes.

Erwin stood in front of him, arms crossed. It was only then he realized Hange was still sleeping soundly on his lap, Rudolph playing on repeat. Levi felt his face heat up.

"How the fuck did you get in here?" He whispered angrily, trying to cover his embarrassment.

Erwin held out a key, "Hange gave me a spare awhile ago. So. . . What're you two doing?"

Hange stirred in her sleep, her brown eyes fluttering open. She yawned and stretched, not sitting up. She was about to fall back asleep when she shot up.

"Levi? Erwin? Oh, God." She covered her crimson face with her hands.

Erwin simply chuckled at her chargin, "No, no. You're fine. I knocked, but no one answered so I let myself in. Sorry. Anyways, Nanaba and Miche are having a Christmas dinner and they wanted me to tell you, but you didn't answer your phones either."

Levi looked over at the brunette, her hands still covering her face. Despite not wanting to go, he knew Hange would, so he agreed for them.

"Sure. What time?"

Erwin looked shocked that he had agreed so quickly. "Uh, 19:00. Dress nice."

He nodded, "Okay. Tell them we say thanks. You can go now." He shooed his blond friend away.

Again, Levi checked his new watch. 10:54.

He admired it for a moment before standing up. Hange stood up beside him, trying to hide her face.

"I'm going to see if I have any nice clothes."

She walked in her room, eyeing the scattered clothes in her room. Hange was stilling thinking about earlier. Her mind even went back to when she put his watch on him. Every time her fingers had touched his skin, she felt sparks. She liked the feeling, but it scared her.

Did she like Levi? More than a friend? Like Nanaba has said?

No, she thought, shaking her head.

Hange dug through her closet, searching for some decent clothes to where to the dinner. She knew she had something from all the important science meetings she had. Rummaging around, she finally found some nice dress slacks and a white button down top with no stains. Perfect.

She laid the clothes on her bed. They both had plenty of time until dinner.

—-

It was 18:14 and Levi was currently in his room buttoning his grey shirt before tucking it into black slacks. His hair was combed in its usual way, grabbing a pair of nice dress shoes before stepping out of his room.

On his way to the bathroom, he noticed the door wide open. Inside, Hange was attempting to brush her hair, still in her pajamas.

"Oi, Four Eyes. What're you doing?"

She slammed her brush on the sink, "Trying to brush my fucking hair. What does it look like I'm doing?"

Levi, taken aback, took the brush from her hand. "I'll help you."

Instead of protesting, Hange turned around so he had full access to her hair. It was tangled, but it didn't take long for Levi to get them all out. "How are you styling it?" He asked.

She shrugged, "I was just gonna brush it and leave it down."

Heart pounding, Levi took her strands and began to French braid it. When she didn't argue, he continued.

After a few minutes, her hair was all braided. "Now," he said, "Go get changed. We are running late."

"Thank you," she nodded weakly, leaving him alone in the cramped bathroom.

Hange could feel her heart beating rapidly as she changed into her dress clothes, leaving her white top untucked. She threw on some flats to finish the look up.

"I'm ready!" She yelled, skipping into the living room where Levi sat on the couch staring at the wall silently.

The pair went out to his truck, Hange bouncing on Levi's heels. They hopped in, Levi pulling out while she gave him directions. A/N that sounded a lot less wrong when I wrote it...

After a while, they were parked in front of Nanaba and Miche's two story home, a few other cars parked in front as well. They walked together to the door. Levi was about to knock when Hange threw the door open, waltzing in like she lived there. He followed hesitantly.

"Nanabaaaa!"

The small blonde poked her head around a corner, a wide smile on her face before she bounced to the pair. She pulled the brunette into a tight hug, and Levi was surprised when she grabbed him too, her arms wrapped firmly around him.

She pulled away, "Ugh! I'm so happy you guys made it! You're a little late, but we haven started eating yet."

Nanaba took their hands, leading them into large dining room. Levi scanned the people surrounding it. He was surprised to see Petra, Eld, and Oruo, since Nanaba only just met them a few weeks ago. Erwin was already seated, grinning at Hange and Levi.

"Hange!" Petra ran over to the woman by his side, taking Hange's hands. "You look so nice!"

"Aw, thanks. You look a lot better though."

Levi looked at what Petra was wearing, and despite her wearing a knee length green dress, he thought Hange looked better.

"Alright! Let's eat!" Nanaba interrupted.

Everybody sat down, Levi sitting on Hange's left side. His stomach did a couple flips, knowing he would be elbowed a couple times due to her being left handed.

—-

"And then Nanaba slapped him!" Miche yelled clutching his stomach.

Dinner was over and they were all telling stories in the living room. Hange sat in between Petra and Nanaba, while Levi sat beside Erwin at the end of the couch.

The brunette was a little disappointed she wasn't near him, but she shook the odd feeling in her stomach away. Levi looked like he was enjoying himself, except he never did smile.

"He was all up in my face!" Nanaba defended herself.

Hange giggled, "You are not in the wrong, Nana."

"I'm totally with you," Petra agreed.

Miche just rolled his eyes, "I'm not saying it was wrong. It was hilarious!"

The night continued to roll this way, laughter echoing off the walls. It felt like they were all teenagers, not a care in the world.

Levi was enjoying the company of these people, and he liked watching Hange laugh.

Well, until he felt his phone vibrate. Checking the message, Levi felt his body grow cold.

Happy birthday.

-K. A.


	16. Chapter 16

It's been a few months since Christmas and Levi hadn't got anymore texts from his uncle. He never told Hange. His roommate had been really happy recently and he refused to take away her smile. 

Levi was currently packing a duffel bag. Petra invited them to the beach for the weekend, since the weather was nice and everybody had it off. He didn't want to go, but Hange said yes for both of them, leaving him with no choice but to spend the weekend in the sandy environment. 

Hange suddenly flung his door open, jumping excitedly into the room and onto his bed.

"I'm so excited!"

"Oi, you're filthy. Get off my bed."

Hange did as she was told. "Are we leaving soon?"

Levi nodded, "I'm almost done. You didn't forget anything?"

"Nope! I got a swimsuit, a couple change of clothes, sweatpants, a sweatshirt, the works!" 

"Toothbrush?" He asked impatiently.

She gave him a sheepish smile. "I'll be right back."

After twenty minutes, the duo was sitting in his truck, bags in the back seat. Levi pulled out his phone, typing the location into Google Maps. It was a two hour drive. 

"Shit," Levi cursed when he saw the ETA. 

Hange squirmed in her seat while he started driving. "This is gonna be so much much fun!"

He slapped her hand away when she reached for the radio. "No." He still remembered the last time she and Erwin sang.

"What? Pleeaassee?" She pouted.

"No."

Hange snatched the aux cord, plugging it into her phone before Levi could stop her. "Don't worry. I listen to good music," she reassured before blasting Papa Roach. 

"Cut my life into pieces, this is my last resort!" She belted loudly. 

This is going to be a long drive, he thought.

—-

It's been an hour, and Hange was still playing the same band. He had to admit, their music was pretty good, and he quickly found himself singing quietly along. 

Hange was an awful singer, but that didn't stop her. 

He sang a little louder during the chorus of Problems and didn't notice when she stopped singing. Levi looked at her, her eyes wide.

"Levi! Your voice is beautiful! Why don't you sing more often?!"

He felt his face grow hot, and he looked away, "I'm not that good."

She started at him, mouth hanging open. "Bullshit!"

He argued a little more with her and she eventually let it go, but he didn't sing anymore.

—-

The pair pulled into the beach. Everyone was there except Eld. Two tents were set up on the sand. Hange ran out of the truck, excitement bubbling while Levi took out both their bags.

She went straight to Petra and Nanaba, who were sunbathing.

"Oh my gosh, Petra! Thank you so much for inviting us!" Hange exclaimed. 

The ginger giggled, "You're welcome!"

After twenty minutes, everyone was there and they all stood together.

"Okay," Petra announced, "We have two tents. One for the guys and one for the girls. There will be no Debbie downers allowed. What do you guys want to do first?"

"Swim!" Nanaba squealed. Everyone agreed. Everyone, but Hange. 

She stood beside Levi awkwardly, nervous about the scars that graced her skin beneath her clothes. The raven haired man could sense her discomfort, knowing exactly why she was unsettled.

He pulled her arm, leading her away from the group a few meters away.

"It's okay. If they judge you, or stare, they're not truly your friends."

Hange nodded, "You're right. Thank you, Levi."

Most of the group was already in the water. She had her bikini on underneath her shorts and tee shirt. Still a little nervous, she took her top off quickly, followed by her shorts. 

Levi not so secretly admired her body from behind, not realizing what he was doing. She was tan and fairly curvy, but didn't have much to fill her bikini top. He didn't care. The brunette quickly went into the water, covering her body, and joining her friends.

"Levi," Erwin chuckled beside him. "If you're going to check her out, you could at least try to hide it a little."

"Shut the fuck up, Eyebrows," Levi spat. 

He took off his shirt, now only in swim trunks and followed Erwin into the cold lake water. He wasn't fond of swimming in the filthy water, but he decided to let loose for the weekend. 

The group of adults swam childishly.

Hange was relived to find that nobody stared or questioned her, so she let herself uncoil completely, laughing and having fun with her friends. 

"Last one to the other side of the lake is a rotten egg!" Miche yelled.

Everyone quickly began to swim the length of the medium sized lake. Hange was surprised to see Levi participate, and even more shocked when he swam way ahead of everyone else. 

Petra wasn't a very strong swimmer, so Hange decided to stay back while her friend swam slowly. 

"So," Petra started, slowly trying to catch up with the group, "I saw Levi checking you out earlier."

Hange blushed, "There's nothing to check out."

The ginger rolled her eyes, "Whatever. But I did. His eyes were glued to you."

The scientist didn't respond, thinking about what she had said. 

Fifteen minutes after everyone else had already reached the other side, the pair made it.

"Aaanddd Petra and Hange are the rotten eggs!" Miche announced childishly.

Hange looked for Levi and quickly spotted him arguing with Erwin. She felt her eyes wander his body. His short stature was well toned and she couldn't help but ogle his abs. She forced herself to look away, and when she made eye contact with Petra, she gave her a knowing look. 

—-

The sun was setting. The group was seated around a campfire. Hange sat in a chair, her legs folded beneath her. 

"So anyways, my mom was pissed at me for a month after that."

She laughed at Eld's story. 

"Alrighty guys. I'm pooped. I'm going to bed," Nanaba told everyone as she stood up, trudging towards the tent for the girls. Her and Petra made eye contact and silently agreed to follow her.

"Good night," Hange said.

Once inside the tent, the girls began to giggle and talk. Petra was about to crawl in her sleeping bag when she screamed. Nanaba looked over, mimicking her cry. 

Curious, Hange shuffled over. Instead screaming in fear, she laughed. A large spider sat beside Petra's stuff. The two other girls were thrashing around in the tent, the brunette laughing hysterically.

The tent was unzipped suddenly, the blonde and ginger shot out, the guys standing beside it nervously. Levi poked his head in, eyeing his roommate oddly. She was laying on the bottom, curled into a ball, tears running down her face as she laughed loudly.

"What the fuck."

Erwin walked in, taking his shoe and smashing the living daylights out of the spider.

"No!" Hange shrieked, sobering up. 

Petra was curled up next to Oruo on the sand shaking, while Nanaba just talked to Miche, fully calmed down. 

"Shitty Glasses, it was a fucking spider. You're fine." Levi told her. 

The brunette stared up at him in shock, "How could you say that?"

"Tch."

"Hey! Wait, Levi!" 

He stopped. Hange was now standing beside him, outside the tent. "Wanna go for a walk?"

He thought about it for a moment. What could go wrong? It was only a walk with his friend. So why did it feel like she was offering something more? 

Levi caught Erwin's eye, who was listening in on their conversation. 

"No."

Her face dropped, "What? Why?"

He kept walking forward to his tent, Hange directly behind him. "I just don't want to."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"With a cherry on top?"

Levi groaned, "Fucking fine! Just stop talking!"

"Yes!" Hange squealed, taking the crook of his arm and pulling him forward into the dark trees ahead of them. 

He let her drag him. He was wondering how far she was gonna go until she suddenly stopped. He looked at his surroundings. It was completely dark out now, but the moon was reflecting off the lake revealing the fact that they were at a small boat access. 

Levi watched as the scientist skipped onto the dock, plopping down and hanging her feet into the water. He followed her, sitting on her left side, cross legged to keep his feet out of the lake.

She leaned back, staring at the stars, while he stared at her.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They get drunk at the beach...

Levi watched the woman beside him, her eyes dark eyes reflecting the stars. He reclined back beside her. 

"Levi?" She whispered.

"Hm?"

"We're friends, right?"

He felt his heart pang, not really wanting to answer her question. "Of course, Four Eyes." His voice cracked.

She turned her head and smiled softly. "We should probably head back."

The raven haired man nodded, standing up, and pulling the brunette up. They stared at each either for a few seconds before Levi realized he was still holding her hand. He quickly released it and began walking, Hange behind him. They walked back to the camp sight silently, the wind blowing lightly making the water hit the sand. 

Everyone else seemed to be in their tents already. The duo parted and Hange unzipped her tent, Petra and Nanaba bombarding her with questions.

Levi entered his tent, Erwin immediately questioning him.

"So, how was your date?"

Miche chuckled, "Confess yet?"

"Or did you just stare at her?" Eld added.

The shorter man glared at all of them, "What are you talking about?"

Erwin rolled his eyes, "Levi. It is plainly obvious you like Hange."

"Just fucking kiss her already. She likes you too," Miche said letting out a sigh as he stretched.

"Just shut the fuck up. I'm going to bed," Levi snapped.

Miche smirked at him, "Don't dream to wildly of her please."

Levi smacked him with his pillow before covering his face in his sleeping bag, trying to hide his embarrassment. The truth was, he had dreamed of her before, but that was normal, right? Of course it was. He was a guy.

—-

Hange was sticky with sweat when she woke up. The burning sun was blasting heat into the tent. With a loud groan, she stretched. Before heading out, she changed into shorts, leaving the two sleeping women in the tent alone. 

All the guys were awake, sitting around the fire making breakfast. 

"Morning, guys!"

They all greeted her. All but Levi, who was avoided making eye contact with her. 

Hange took a glass of the boiling water and poured it into her instant oatmeal. She sat next the raven haired man. 

"Sleep okay?" She asked.

He shrugged, "Do I ever?"

She put her hand on his arm, feeling his muscles tighten underneath her touch. The brunette had forgotten he had insomnia. He hadn't complained about it in a while. 

"Sorry."

Taking her hand away, Hange finished off her oatmeal. After a few minutes, she spotted Petra stumbling out of the tent, followed by Nanaba.

"Oof, my back hurts."

Miche walked over to his girlfriend, wrapping an arm around her. Oruo followed suit and was soon hugging the ginger. Hange smiled fondly at the couples. 

"So, what're we doing today?" Nanaba asked groggily.

Erwin made himself more instant oatmeal, "Swim? Hike? Oruo brought beer for tonight."

Levi rolled his eyes, "Seriously?"

Oruo nodded indignantly, "Of course. We're here to have fun and getting drunk is fun."

The shorter man finally looked up at the woman next to him. Would she get drunk again? What would happen this time? 

I'd have to keep her from drowning herself, he thought.

"We should hike today," Hange put in.

Everyone agreed.

—-

Slipping on a pair of tennis shoes, Hange skipped out of the tent, grinning like a maniac. She went to Nanaba, who was tying her boots.

"Are you ready?" She asked excitedly.

The blonde nodded, "Yep. But you should hang out with Levi. He looks bored."

Hange snapped her head towards Levi. He was leaning against a tree in basketball shorts and a black tee shirt. She looked for Erwin, but he was busy talking to Eld. 

"Will you be with Miche?" She asked.

Nanaba nodded, "mhm, now go!"

Shaking her head, she walked over to Levi. He ignored her presence, however, so the brunette poked his cheek, earning her hand a slap. 

"Alright, guys. Let's go. Eld, you got the food?" Miche asked.

The tall blond nodded. Everyone began to walk, Hange skipping beside Levi. He didn't say a word as they all hiked to who knows where. 

—-

They had been hiking for about two hours and Hange was currently babbling about her recent research. Levi didn't care one bit about it, but he listened, despite not understanding much if she was saying. Ahead of them, Erwin was talking to Eld. The pair conversed quietly. And behind them, Nanaba and Miche laughed loudly, telling each other stories. 

Petra and Oruo held hands in silence. Levi assumed they were both nervous about Oruo's tongue.

"Hey, Levi," Hange said, finally changing the topic from her experimental mice to something else. 

"What?"

"Where is Gunther?"

Levi mentally slapped himself. She just now realized he was gone? "He left this morning. He had a family emergency."

"Oh," was all she said. 

She was quiet for a few minutes and he relished in the silence. 

Suddenly, the brunette beside him was crashing towards the hard earth, her foot hitting a large rock. Levi instinctively reached for her, barely catching her before he face slammed into the dirt. 

Hange sheepishly stood back up, his hands never releasing her arms. "Whoops. My bad."

He noticed the red that painted her cheeks and quickly let go, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "Try thinking a little less hard."

A chuckle came from behind him and he shot an icy glare to the short blonde. 

They continued on, Hange focusing more on where she was stepping.

The silence was cut off when her phone rang, a Papa Roach song blasting from the speaker. She fished the iPhone 7 from her pocket, putting it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hange! I accidentally broke your new beaker set! I swear I'll buy you a new one, but-"

"Moblit, slow down! It's okay," she reassured her anxious assistant. "Is that all you called about?"

She heard glass being swept up. "I'm sorry, Hange. I-"

"It's okay!" She sighed, fondly thinking about the expensive beaker set she bought herself a month ago. Hange hung up before he could sell his soul to her. 

Levi let out an an irritated sigh, which surprised him. "Moblit?"

The scientist nodded, "Yeah, he broke my new beakers." She wiped a tear from her cheek.

The raven haired man stared at her in shock. She was crying over broken glass? "Why are you crying?"

"I'm not," she argued firmly. "They were just a lot of money. But I can cover a new set easily, so it okay."

—-

The sun was setting and Oruo was currently handing out glass bottles of beer. Everyone took one, except for Levi. Nanaba popped here open, taking a long swig from the bottle, while Petra took small sips.

Hange seemed to be immune to the bitter taste of the alcohol. Levi watched her carefully, not wanting her to get drunk, but he knew that would be inevitable. Erwin, despite what he saying he was going to stay sober, had already had for beers. 

"Oi!" Miche screamed, already quite intoxicated. 

Levi looked over to where he was yelling. Another campsite, a long ways away, was starting a fire. From what he could tell, it was a group of teenagers and his cousin, Mikasa, was among them. 

"Good idea!" Oruo slurred, apparently knowing what was going through Miche's head.

The pair trudged over to the neighboring site. 

After a couple minutes, they came back with a bunch of teenagers. Levi only recognized three; Mikasa and her two friends, Eren and Armin. He also remembered them from the shop a long time ago.

Miche handed them each a bottle.

"What are you-" 

Oruo cut Levi off, "Offering them the night of a life time!" 

Levi marches toward his cousin and snatched the beer from her grip. "You are not drinking this."

Suddenly, a heavy arm was draped across his shoulders. 

"Come on, Levi," the brunette drawled, "Let them just this once."

With a groan, he slapped the bottle back into Mikasa's hand and marched toward the fire, sitting in one of the fold out chairs.

The night hadn't even started yet and it was a disaster.

—-

If Levi thought it was bad before, it was hell now. 

Every teenager was drunk, along with his fellow adults. Petra was sloppily making out with Oruo. Nanaba and Miche were having a hotdog eating contest, wasting food because most of it landed on the sand. Erwin was telling a couple teens a story, while Eld was showing them how to snort sand. Hange lied on the ground beside his chair, laughing as she made snow angels in the sand. 

And Levi was very tea deprived, which worsened his already foul mood. 

The scientist beside suddenly sat up. "Levi!"

"What?"

She rested her elbows on his thighs, her head in her hands. "Let's do what they're doing!"

He followed her finger to Petra and Oruo, who were still at it. The short man felt his face burn.

"No."

This was the second time he saw her drunk, and it seemed Hange was very interested in sexual activities whilst intoxicated. 

She pouted, "Fine. Erwiiinnn!"

Levi, unsure of what she was doing, slammed a hand to her mouth. She licked his hand. He pulled it away, disgusted. She giggled and proceeded to call Erwin over.

"Yessss, Hangeee?"

Hange jumped up and hugged him, "Levi is being mean."

"Howw?" He slurred.

Levi felt himself tense as he watched Erwin's arms snake around her waist.

"He won't sleep with me," She sniffled. 

"Four Eyes, stop," he said, standing up. Erwin tucked his head into Hange's neck, slowly kissing it. Levi froze as he watched his roommate tilt her head, giving Erwin more access. 

Suddenly, he felt himself shove the tall blonde away from Hange, not even aware of his actions. He grabbed her wrist, pulling her to her tent. 

"You're going to bed before you get into anymore trouble," he spit nastily.

Hange leaned back against her pillows. 

"Okay," she cried. "I'm sorry."

Not sure of what to do, Levi smoothed her hair from her face, "Just go to sleep."

She nodded and snuggled into her sleeping bag.

—-

Once he was sure Hange was asleep, Levi went back out. Eren and Jean were fighting, while Mikasa and Armin, who were both sober, tried to break it up. Conny and Sasha were building a horrible sand castle in the dark, only the moon lighting the pile of sand. 

Nanaba and Miche were passed out on the sand, hotdog buns scattered around them. Petra and Oruo were also sleeping soundly. Erwin has never gotten up from when he had shoved him, and Eld was in the tent.

Levi sent the drunk teenagers back to their camp and cleaned up all the glass bottles laying everywhere. 

He decided to leave his friends outside, and crawled into the tent, exhausted from the hike and the very eventful night.

He slowly drifted into a deep slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter. 
> 
> For the more updated version, check my Wattpad @hayleeloox
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	18. Chapter 18

Hange woke up feeling like shit. She stretched, groaning as she tried to remember last nights events. The last thing she recalled was helping Nanaba make some hot dogs for her contest. 

She heard the wrestling from outside. She stumbled out to see all her friends sprawled out on the sand.

Levi, along with a pained Erwin, sat by the campfire. 

She stumbled towards them, throwing herself in a chair across from Erwin. She gazed at the blond. He was holding his head, avoiding eye contact with her.

"I'm so sorry, Hange," he said suddenly.

"Ehh?"

Erwin looked at her. "You don't remember?" 

"No?" Hange immediately began making a mental list of all the possible things that happened.

"Oh. . ."

Levi slapped his hand against the arm rest of his chair, "Erwin, just fucking tell her. It wasn't that bad."

"What happened?" She asked nervously.

Erwin groaned, "Well, you tried to hook up with Levi and when he said no, you whined to me and I kissed your neck, but-"

Hange gasped, "I tried to to sleep with Levi?!"

She whipped her head towards the raven haired man, who had his face buried in his hands.

"Erwin," he growled.

"Can we all just shut the fuck up?" A new voice interrupted.

Everyone turned to see Eld stepping out of his tent, sweatpants on backwards. Despite her embarrassment upon learning she had tried to sleep with Levi, Hange chuckled at the sight of him. 

Soon everyone was else was awake. Nanaba was sure to bring the teenagers some water and ibuprofen for their hangovers. 

Levi tried to avoid contact with the brunette, which was easy considering she, too, was ignoring him. 

—-

It was about 15:00 and everyone was feeling better, all their headaches being replaced with energy. 

"Nanaba?" Hange asked, eyeing the darkening sky, "Do you know what the forecast was for today?"

The blonde shrugged, "Nope, but it looks like it'll rain later."

"Tch." Levi 'tsked' upon over hearing them. Erwin walked over. 

"Today is the last night we'll be here."

"Good."

Eld rolled his eyes, "Seriously, Levi? I know you had fun."

Miche chuckled, "Yeah, I know he did."

Levi huffed and walked away, ignoring them. Unsure of where to go, he went to Hange, who was building a sand castle with Nanaba and Petra, all three in their bathing suits. He felt his eyes wander the brunette's back, anger and pride mixing. He was angry she had them, but proud she was now comfortable to be showing them in front of her friends. 

He saw Hange perk up when she saw him. Levi, disgusted, sat in the sand beside her.

Petra and Nanaba gave each other a look before giggling and running away. He rolled his eyes.

"Wanna help?" The scientist asked, packing the sand.

He shrugged, "Not particularly."

Despite what he said, he took the bucket and scooped some sand into it. Hange beamed as she helped fill the bucket. 

—

An hour passed and the pair now stood proudly in front of their large sand castle, Hange in her bikini and Levi only wearing basketball shorts. After twenty minutes, he had to take his shirt off because the sun had managed to peak from behind the clouds and burned his skin. 

Hange put a hand on his bare shoulder. "We did a good job. Now, for the fun part."

Levi looked up at her, eyeing the mischievous grin on her face. Suddenly, she bolted, demolishing the castle they had constructed. 

He stared at her in shock. They had worked on and perfected it for an hour just for her to jump in it? 

"Four Eyes!" he barked.

She laughed and threw sand his way. He shot her a dirty look. "You're gonna get it!" He threatened.

Levi ran for her, pulling the squealing woman over his shoulder and taking off for the water.

"Levi, no!" She screamed, slamming her palms against his back.

When he reached the water, he mercilessly dunked her under, but due to her iron grip, he was plunged with her. Hange wasn't going to be the only one wet. 

Meanwhile, Erwin and Miche watched the moment, the blond taking a video of the whole thing. Petra laughed.

"I've never seen Levi like this."

Oruo nodded, his arm loosely around her waist. "Yeah, this is a first."

—-

Hange shivered by the campfire, hair dripping with water, goosebumps on her skin. Her and Levi swam for awhile, but now the sun was hiding behind some clouds, the sky growing darker. Levi was wearing a shirt now, toweling his hair before tossing it to Hange.

She did the same, drying her body before stiffly going into the tent to change into a hoodie and sweats, Levi following suit in his own tent.

After dressing, she went back to the campfire. Everyone was roasting hot dogs. Levi was boiling some water, dipping a teabag inside it. 

Hange grabbed a wiener, sticking it onto a stick before hanging over the open fire. 

She looked up at the sky, the clouds cover the entire thing now. Sighing, she pulled the hotdog from the fire, sticking it onto a bun and adding mustard. 

"No ketchup?" Petra asked.

Hange scrunched her face, "Ick."

She had barely taken a bite when water began to fall from the sky, thunder cracking. Grinning, she looked up at the rain.

"Hange!" Petra screamed and she was drug into the tent. They all piled into one. Hange pouted on her sleeping bag, hotdog in hand. She wanted to be in the rain.

"Looks like it'll rain for the rest of night," Eld said checking his phone. 

"Fucking shit," Levi muttered.

Nanaba chuckled softly, leaning into Miche, "So, what are we gonna do?"

Nobody said anything.

"I know," Erwin smirked, "Let's play game to see how long it takes for Hange and Levi to admit their feelings."

The pair gave each other a look, faces red and burning, and not just from sun burn.

Miche snickered. "I like that idea."

"You have it all wrong," Hange insisted, "We are just friends."

"Whatever," Nanaba rolled her eyes. "The sexual tension is so thick, I could cut it with a knife."

"Can we change the subject?" The brunette groaned, falling back onto her sleeping bag. "Actually, I'm going to sleep."

Levi watched as the flushed scientist crawled into her sleep bag, pulling it over her head. 

When she began snoring softly, Erwin started talking. "Okay, Levi. Spit it out."

"Hm?"

"Just admit it. You like like Hange."

Levi thought for a moment. He was beginning to think he might like her more than a friend, but he was constantly pushing those thoughts out of his head. He also noticed he looked at her a lot more and for a lot longer. Maybe he did like her, despite her messiness and unhygienic means.

"Like like? What are you? Twelve?" He asked, not denying anything.

"Yeah? Well, you're not arguing or anything."

Miche sniggered, "Let's not embarrass him, guys. When it comes to love, Levi is a silly, awkward teenager."

—-

It was completely dark now and the only light was the flashlight they had set up in the middle of the tent. Hange was still asleep, but now she lay on top of her sleeping bag. 

Nanaba yawned. "Alright, guys. I'm snoozing. We are all in one tent, so no funny business."

"Like you're one to talk," Oruo muttered.

She rolled her eyes and lied down, Miche pulling her close. Petra and Oruo did the same.

"I'm so single," Eld sighed.

"Tell me about it," Erwin responded. 

Levi scoffed before lying beside the snoring brunette, pulling her glasses off her face and placing them beside her pillow. 

He slowly drifted off to sleep, thinking about his feelings for Hange.

—

The sun was hot when Hange opened her eyes. She could feel the beads of sweat on her skin beneath her hoodie.

Yawning, she tried to stretch when she felt heavy arms wrapped around her. She could hear the soft sound of someone breathing by her ear. 

Hange almost panicked when she realized it was Levi, his head buried in the crook of her neck, arms around her waist. 

Heart racing, she tried to pull away without waking him, but that was inevitable. Levi slept very little and was an extremely light sleeper.

He stirred, his breath flicked her hair, tickling the back of her neck. She felt him snuggle closer, but then he pulled back inhumanly fast when he realized what he was doing.

Hange sat up and looked around the tent. It was empty, save for them and their stuff.

The tent door was suddenly unzipped and Erwin poked his head in. "We need pack up. We left you lovebirds for as long as possible, but it seems you're already awake. Come on. Let's go."

Ignoring the awkwardness, Levi left to pack his things in the other tent, leaving Hange alone in this one. She pulled her hair out of its ratted ponytail and ran her fingers through her messy locks, thinking about what just happened.

Quickly, she packed her things. They all took the tent down and put it away.

Hange and Levi were soon in his truck, bags in the back, and on their way back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya! Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> Chapter 22 is up on Wattpad!


	19. Chapter 19

Kenny sipped his cup of coffee.

"Hange Zoë," he hummed into his cup.

It seemed his nephew had found a lady friend, and he wanted to meet her. Kenny has sent Levi a text, hoping it was the right number. He hadn't sent one in awhile now. He was waiting until his sources had the number of this Zoë.

"Sir," Caven said, standing straight. "We got her number. It was easy. She is pretty famous in the science department."

Kenny smiled at his blonde assistant. "Thanks."

He handed her a wad of cash in exchange for the slip of paper that held the phone number.

Grinning, he took out his cell phone and typed the number, adding her to his contacts. 

To Hange Zoë:

Hiya. It seems you have grown quite close to my nephew. I'd like to meet whatever time is good for you.

-K.A.

He hit 'send'.

With a chuckle, he went to Levi's contact, hitting the call button.

He answered on the second ring.

"Levi Ackerman speaking." He said in a monotone voice. 

"It's been awhile, nephew."

"Kenny," he snarled venomously into the phone.

Kenny chuckled, "Yep. How are ya, Levi? A little birdie told me you've got a lady friend."

He heard his nephew growl, "Just stay the fuck away."

"What? You're not gonna introduce her to yer uncle?"

"You're not my family."

Kenny grinned, "Is that anyway to talk to the only family you've got left?"

"Stay away from me and my true family."

With that, he hung up. With a chuckle, Kenny stood up and walked out of his office. 

"Caven, book a flight for two weeks ahead. We've got to go to Pennsylvania."

——

Levi slammed the phone down. After a few minutes of staring angrily at the wall of the apartment, Hange walked out of her room, phone in hand.

"Levi? What's this?"

She handed his phone out and he immediately knew it was Kenny.

"Hange, I'm sorry you got dragged into this."

"What? No. I'm your. . . I'm your friend, Levi. I'm here for you."

Levi threw himself onto the couch and rubbed his temple. "He's dangerous, Four Eyes."

"I don't give a fuck," Hange cursed angrily.

He almost recoiled at her small outburst. He'd never seen her this way before.

"Fine," he sighed. "We'll go back to normal, but if you get any calls or texts, tell me immediately."

She nodded. "Of course."

Levi laid his head back on the couch and closed his eyes, his thoughts only of Kenny and Hange. 

"We should go out." She blurted.

He open an eye and raised a thin brow, "Out?"

A date? 

Hange reddened, "N-not a date, but eat out tonight instead."

"Sure."

She smiled. "Okay. I'll go get ready."

Levi felt his heart flutter when her lips went upward. He nodded stiffly and went into his room to prepare as well. 

He changed out of his sweatpants to dark jeans, but he kept the hoodie. 

It's not a date, he had to remind himself.

Stepping out, he saw Hange in jeans and a hoodie as well. Her hair was up in its signature ponytail. 

"Ready?" She asked, a goofy grin plastered to her face. 

"Tch."

She skipped over to him and took the crook of his arm, and he let her drag him out the door and to his pickup. 

Levi thought for a moment before deciding on a place to eat. He decided to go one of the new diners that opened up. 

—

They pulled up to the new diner and the pair went inside and took a seat by the window.

"Have you been here?" Hange asked.

Levi shook his head, "No, but it's new and Erwin said it was good."

A waitress walked up and he recognized her as Sasha, one of the teenagers that drank with them at the beach.

"Oh!" She said when she saw them. "Levi and Hange, right?"

Hange beamed, "Yep! I don't remember much from that night, but you're Sasha?"

The brunette nodded. "Mhm! I had fun that night by the way. Thanks! Anyway, what do you guys want to drink?"

"Black unsweetened tea."

"Hmm, I'll have a Bloody Mary please." Hange said. Levi shot her look.

"ID?"

The scientist grinned as she pulled her wallet from her pocket and showed Sasha her drivers license. 

The waitress wrote down their drink orders and left. 

"Alcohol? Seriously?" Levi deadpanned.

Hange shrugged, "It won't do anything. Besides, you're driving."

He sighed and took a sip of the tea cup that was placed in front of him. She grinned as she tasted her beverage.

"Okay, do you know what you're gonna eat?" Sasha asked, notepad in hand. 

Levi scanned the menu, but eventually chose potato soup. Hange ordered a cheese curd burger with fries. 

"You order the most boring things," he commented when her food was placed in front of her, remembering the last time they ate out with Erwin she had a bacon cheeseburger.

Hange rolled her eyes, "Says the one who got potato soup. Besides, I love burgers."

Levi didn't answer, instead, his eyes lingered on her face. Her hair was messy, her glasses were sliding down her nose, and her hazel orbs had gold flecks in them. She was beautiful, but he knew she didn't see herself as lovely. He wanted to make her feel beautiful. 

He shook those thoughts from his head. Levi felt his heart begin to race as he mentally came to a conclusion.

He very much liked Hange.

—

Hange ate a couple fries. She glanced up at Levi, who's face was a little red. Her eyes roamed his face, trying to decipher how he was feel or what he was thinking about.

His hair was styled it usual way and his steel eyes were narrowed, looking at his food.

"Levi?" She asked.

He looked up and she felt her face redden. 

Why do I feel like this?

"What, Four Eyes?"

"Mm, I forgot."

He let out an irritated breath and began eating. Hange took a nervous sip of her drink, glancing around at the other tables, couples seated around. 

After the meal, Hange was full, but happy. Her burger was amazing and Levi seemed to enjoy his soup. He also said that their tea wasn't half bad.

The pair were now back in the apartment.

"Levi?" 

Levi looked at her. She had plopped onto the couch and she sat with a quizzical look on her face, as if she was thinking hard about something. 

"Yeah?" He asked.

"If Kenny has stayed out of your life since you left, then why is he now trying to make contact?"

Levi froze. He had thought about it before as well, and the only conclusion he had come to, which Kenny had also mentioned in his text and call, is Hange. 

"I think it's you." He said. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"That's what I've been thinking about. But Levi, I promise I'll stay by your side. Kenny doesn't scare me."

He furrowed his brows. "You should be, but. . . Thank you, Hange. Noting bad will happen. I promise."

Eyes still closed, she smiled. Levi sat beside her. 

Hopefully, they would never see Kenny. He could survive hearing from him, but seeing him? What would happen then? What would Kenny do? To Hange? To him?

He shook the disturbing thoughts from his head.

He flipped on the tv and went to Netflix. Scrolling though the shows, he started to hear soft snoring from beside him.

Her head fell from the couch cushion and onto his shoulder, angled sharply due to the height difference.

Levi let out a sharp breath. He turned his head and examined her. She had bags under her eyes from lack of sleep. She had been working extra hours since returning from their camping trip and she often brought it home and worked throughout the night. He had to remind her to have dinner, otherwise she wouldn't eat. 

He stood up slowly and gently took her in his arms, carrying the brunette back to her soft bed. Setting her down, he slid her glasses off her nose, and placed them on her cluttered nightstand. Levi pulled the hair tie from her tangled locks and slid the blanket up to her chin.

"Goodnight, Four Eyes," he whispered, sliding a hand to her forehead to move the hair, and placed his lips on her warm skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Have a good one.


	20. Chapter 20

"I'm leaving now!" Hange hollered to Levi, who was sitting at the table sipping his steaming tea. She had to work real early today, and Levi didn't work until later. He had offered to drive her, but she insisted that he didn't need to. 

Levi grunted in response, not verbally answering. She left and skipped down the stairs, making her way to bus stop.

The brunette stepped onto the bus, finding an empty seat.

"Hey," a new voice said.

She turned to see a semi tall red head leaning into her seat. Hange nervously scooted closet to the window.

"Hi."

The ginger sat next to her. "I'm Floch."

"Hange," she said, taking his outstretched hand. "My stop is soon, so. . ."

Floch smiled and pulled out a business card. "No worries. Here's my contact information."

When she took it, he stepped out of the seat so she could get off. 

Hange slipped the card into her pocket and went into the building. She went up the elevator and to her lab. Moblit was already inside, straightening up a few things.

She sat in her chair and pulled out her thick notebook, opening it up and scanning her notes.

"Alright, Moblit. We've got a lot of testing to do. Go set out the beakers, I'll be right behind you."

Her assistant nodded and opened the thick door to her the lab part. Hange skipped on her lab coat and followed him in. As he was setting the beakers up, his shaky hand dropped one and it shattered, cutting her hand.

"Shit," she cursed, clutching her wrist as she examined the damage. It wasn't too bad, but there were glass pieces poking out of her exposed flesh.

"I'm so sorry, Hange! I- I-"

"No, no," she waved him off. "It's no problem. I'm gonna go clean this, but when I get back, you've gotta tell me gets on your mind."

He nodded weakly, his face bright red.

Hange walked out of her lab and into a bathroom after grabbing a pair of tweezers and some bandages from her desk. After rinsing and picking the glass shards from her hand, she wrapped the bandage around a couple times.

She sighed, wiggling her stiff, sore fingers. Returning to her lab, she saw that Moblit had already cleaned up the mess. He was now sitting in the chair Levi had slept in awhile ago, his hands in his lap. He looked stressed.

"Moblit?"

He looked up. "I'm so sorry, Hange."

"It's okay," she reassured. "What's wrong?"

She heard him release a long breath. "Ilse and I didn't work out. We broke up a couple days ago. I'm sorry, it's no excuse-"

"No," Hange raised both her hands, "I get it. You can have the rest of the day off."

"I couldn't-"

"No. You will take the rest of the day off. Go." She shooed him out the door. Once he had left, she collapsed at her desk, gripping onto her pencil. She decided would probably be safer to just takes notes today instead of experimenting. 

—-

It had been three hours since Hange left. Levi was currently pulling his tennis shoes on before heading to work. 

It was mid summer now and he was dreading the heat cast from the sun. Levi even contemplated taking the air conditioned bus instead of walking for a few minutes, but he decided against making contact with other people.

Reaching the store, he slipped inside to see Petra brewing some coffee.

"Hey, Levi," She chirped.

He only hummed.

"Guess what?" She asked, practically bouncing, voice dripping with excitement. At this moment, the ginger reminded him of Hange. 

"Hm?"

She flung her hand into the raven haired's face, showing off the diamond ring wrapped around by a gold band on her left ring finger. "Oruo proposed to me!" She squealed.

Levi examined the ring. It was beautifully done and it suited the bubbly young woman in front of him, but he couldn't help but picture it on Hange. 

"It's beautiful," he complimented.

Petra nodded vigorously, still squealing, "I know!"

He began wiping down the countertops, even though Petra was sure to have done it this morning and the night shift people did it last night.

"Levi?" He heard her say.

"Yeah?"

He looked up. Petra was standing next to him nervously, playing with the ends of her hair.

"You should just tell Hange. You'd be surprised how far a simple confession would go." 

"Tch." Levi ground his teeth, trying to hold back the nasty comments he wanted to spout, but he knew she was right. 

Petra smiled softly, "I know she really likes you too."

Letting out a breath, he said, "Maybe I will tell her. But how? How could I tell her?"

"You'll know when and how when the moment is right," she told him.

He didn't respond, only thought about her words.

"Howdy!" A new voice interrupted. He turned to see Erwin. "I thought I'd just stop by. Levi, my usual please."

Rolling his eyes, Levi made the coffee. 

He slid the steaming mug over to the blond. "So, what shitty reason do you have for dropping by?"

The taller man shrugged, "I've got work off today and I was bored."

"But it's eight in the morning."

He shrugged again, "Eh. Whatever."

Levi sighed and rubbed his eyes. He was too tired for this shit. He had only got a couple hours of sleep. 

—-

Hange stood up and stretched. It was nearing 21:00 and she needed to get home. 

Shoulder her bag, she slipped her notebook in and locked up her lab. 

Once she stepped outside, the the chilled night air bit her bare arms. She walked silently for a couple minutes before she felt like she was being followed.

Stopping, she called, "Hello?"

Suddenly, a figure was beside her. "Hey."

Hange gasped, nearly jumping from her skin at the new presence. She turned to see a semi tall ginger, looming beside her.

"Oh, Floch," she breathed, chuckling nervously. 

He ducked his head lower, his lips nearly pressing against her ear. "Do you want to come home with me?"

She jerked away from him. "No thanks."

Floch reaches for her arm, gripping onto her right skin. "Come on. Just for tonight."

"No."

Hange yanked her arm from his grasp, narrowing her eyes.

He stepped forward. "Don't worry. It'll be fun."

She pulled her arm back and swung, her fist hitting him square in the jaw. 

"No means no, you fucking pig!"

Floch stepped back angrily, clutching his swollen jaw. "You're gonna regret that, bitch."

"Am I?" Hange taunted, using her left leg to knock him to his knees. 

After one last punch, she skipped to the bus stop, clutching her sore, unbandaged hand.

She reached the apartment quickly, and entered. Scanning the open kitchen and living room, she didn't see Levi. The brunette dropped her bag.

Levi, apparently hearing her come in, walked out of his bedroom, his Steele eyes immediately going down to her hands.

"What the fuck happened?" He growled, eyeing her bloody knuckles and bandaged hand.

Hange shrugged nonchalantly, "Broken glass beaker, threw a few punches, you know, the usual."

"Punches?" He asked, raising a raven brow.

"Well, some stupid ass guy came along and invited me to his house and when I politely declined, he got mad, but I handled it just fine."

Levi took her hands gently, grey eyes roaming their scuffed appearance. "Come on. I'll clean this up."

He led her the bathroom and pulled a first aid kit from under the sink. He took out some disinfectant and carefully dabbed it onto her knuckles. After that, he changed the bandages on her other hand. 

Hange smiled gratefully, never removing her hands from his. "Thank you."

Levi felt his lips curl slightly, "Yeah, no problem. Just no more punches."

"Hey," she gently hit his shoulder, "You should smile more."

He sighed, not responding. He let go of her hands, and left the bathroom. Hange followed silently.

He stopped by his bedroom door. The brunette reached down and took his callused hand. She could feel her heart beat rapidly beneath her breast, her face reddening as something dawned on her.

"Goodnight, Levi."

I like Levi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 23 is now on Wattpad @hayleeloox

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. Sorry for any errors. This story was first posted on Wattpad and will receive updates on there before they are here. Wattpad- hayleeloox


End file.
